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Electronic Submission Article 572 Data Questions Answers - en
Electronic Submission Article 572 Data Questions Answers - en
EMA/159776/2013
Information Management
Version 1.12
© European Medicines Agency, 2018. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Table of contents
Summary of changes ................................................................................... 9
1. SCOPE OF ARTICLE 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 ................ 10
1.1. Medicinal products within the scope of Article 57(2) requirements ............................ 10
1.2. Medicinal products out of scope of Article 57(2) requirements .................................. 10
1.3. Submission of centrally authorised medicinal products (CAPs) .................................. 11
1.4. Submission of investigational medicinal products (IMPs) ......................................... 11
1.5. Submission of herbal medicinal products ............................................................... 11
1.5.1. Submission of herbal medicinal products authorised based on Article 20(1) of the
Polish Pharmaceutical Law ......................................................................................... 12
1.6. Submission of homeopathic products (HMPs) awaiting authorisation ......................... 12
1.7. Submission of medicinal products authorised in EEA countries outside the EU ............ 13
1.7.1. Submission of medicinal products authorised in Liechtenstein ............................... 13
1.7.2. Submission of separate entities for medicinal products authorised in Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway via the centralised procedure ................................................ 14
1.8. Submission of authorised but not yet marketed medicinal products .......................... 14
1.9. Submission of veterinary products ........................................................................ 14
1.10. Submission of products registered via simplified procedure (Article 126a of Directive
No 2001/83/EC) ....................................................................................................... 14
1.11. Submission of medicinal products authorised via 'Standardzulassung' ..................... 15
1.12. Submission of medicinal products authorised via 'Fiktive Zulassungen' .................... 15
1.13. Submission of medicinal products falling within the scope of Article 5 of Directive
2001/83/EC ............................................................................................................. 15
1.14. Submission of 'Certain medicinal products for external use (WUM)' ......................... 15
1.15. Submission of medicinal product authorised as 'conditional marketing authorisations'16
1.16. Obligations for parallel distributors ..................................................................... 16
1.17. Obligations for parallel importers ........................................................................ 16
2. PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED (LEGACY) DATA ............................................. 17
2.1. Definition of legacy data ...................................................................................... 17
2.2. Visibility, ownership and maintenance of legacy product data .................................. 17
2.3. Use of product data previously submitted .............................................................. 17
3. DATA SUBMISSIONS PER ARTICLE 57(2) REQUIREMENTS .................... 18
3.1. Timelines for submission of authorised medicinal product information ....................... 18
3.1.1. Start of 15 calendar day timeline ....................................................................... 18
3.1.2. Receipt of positive XEVPRM ACK within 15 calendar days timeline .......................... 18
3.1.3. Submission of information within 15 calendar days following a transfer of marketing
authorisation ............................................................................................................ 19
3.1.4. NEW: Start of 30 calendar day timeline to notify the EMA following a transfer of MA 19
3.2. Recommended timelines for submission of information on traditional herbal medicinal
products registered in accordance with Article 16a of Directive 2001/83/EC ..................... 19
3.3. Submission of multiple medicinal products authorised under one authorisation number
(Umbrella authorisation) ............................................................................................ 20
3.4. Submission of medicinal products with multiple package presentations covered by one
authorisation number ................................................................................................ 21
• 3.1.4. NEW: Start of 30 calendar day timeline to notify the EMA following a transfer of MA
• 4.5.4. NEW: Transfer of marketing authorisation to an affiliate registered under the same HQ
• 4.12.1.3. NEW: Change of QPPV if he/she resides and carries out his/her tasks in the UK
Question: With regards to Article 57(2), which products do marketing-authorisation holders need to
submit to the Agency and how?
Answer: Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004 as amended by Regulation (EU) 1235/2010
and Regulation (EU) 1027/2012 requires:
(a) the Agency shall, by 2 July 2011 at the latest, make public a format for the electronic submission of
information on medicinal products for human use;
(b) marketing-authorisation holders shall, by 2 July 2012 at the latest, electronically submit to the
Agency information on all medicinal products for human use authorised in the Union, using the format
referred to in point (a);
(c) from the date set out in point (b), marketing-authorisation holders shall inform the Agency of any
new or varied marketing authorisations granted in the Union, using the format referred to in point (a).’
Therefore, marketing-authorisation holders are required to submit to the Agency information on all
medicinal products for which they hold a marketing authorisation in the European Union, i.e.:
Marketing-authorisation holders are also required to submit information concerning all medicinal
products for which they hold a marketing authorisation in EEA countries outside the EU (i.e. Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway), as the pharmacovigilance legislation has been incorporated into the EEA
Agreement and entered into force in the EEA on 28 May 2014.
Medicinal product data shall be submitted to the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary
(XEVMPD) via the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Report Message (XEVPRM) with the
operation type 'Insert' (1). For further information see Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product
report message (XEVPRM) user guidance section 1.1 Initial Submission of an Authorised Medicinal
Product (AMP).
Question: Which medicinal products do not need to be submitted per Article 57(2) requirements?
Answer: Medicinal products falling out of scope of Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004
include:
• medicinal products within the scope of Article 5 of Directive 2001/83/EC i.e. 'Named patient use'
falling under Article 5(1) and 'EU Distribution Procedure' under Article 5(2);
Medicinal products falling out of scope of Article 57(2) may be submitted and maintained on voluntary
basis in line with the requirements and business processes described in Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Before 2 July 2012, centrally authorised products (CAPs) were entered and maintained by
the EMA. Will the EMA continue entering and maintaining CAPs on behalf of the MAHs?
Answer: As stated in section 1.1. Medicinal products within the scope of Article 57(2 of this document,
centrally authorised products are to be submitted by the marketing-authorisation holder per Article
57(2) requirements.
Question: How should we handle submission of investigational medicinal products per requirements of
Article 57(2)?
Answer: As stated in section 1.2. Medicinal products out of scope of Article 57(2 of this document, the
submission of information on IMPs is out of scope of Article 57(2). IMPs should be electronically
submitted as required in accordance with the Detailed guidance on the collection, verification and
presentation of adverse event/reaction reports arising from clinical trials on medicinal products for
human use' ('CT-3') (OJ 2011/C 172/01) published by the Commission on 11 June 2011.
Question: Our company holds several licences for herbal medicinal products. Do we need to enter
those products in the XEVMPD?
Answer: In accordance with Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) 726/2004 the electronic submission
focuses on information on authorised medicinal products for human use. This does not include
registrations of traditional herbal medicinal products (Chapter 2a of Directive 2001/83/EC) and
registrations of homeopathic medicinal products registered according to the special, simplified
registration procedure [Article 14(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC].
However, if the licence is a valid marketing authorisation granted by a national competent authority in
the EU, and it is not granted following the registration of the traditional herbal medicinal products
(Chapter 2a of Directive 2001/83/EC) or according to the special, simplified registration procedure
[Article 14(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC], it is falling within the scope of Article 57 requirements and
should be therefore submitted in line with the requirements and business processes described in
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance of the
See also the Note for clarification: Traditional herbal medicinal product and simplified registration for
homeopathic medicinal products: pharmacovigilance requirements and EudraVigilance access clarifying
pharmacovigilance requirements for traditional herbal medicinal products registered further to a
simplified registration procedure (traditional use-registration) on the basis of Article 16a of Directive
2001/83/EC and homeopathic medicinal products registered further to the special, simplified
registration procedure under Article 14(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC, and the process for obtaining
access to adverse reaction reports in EudraVigilance for traditional use herbal medicinal products.
Related information is also available in Q&A 3.2. Recommended timelines for submission of information
on traditional herbal medicinal products registered in accordance with Article 16a of Directive
2001/83/EC.
Question: We are manufactures and act as a marketing-authorisation holder for a number of herbal
medicinal products authorised based on Article 20(1) of the Polish Pharmaceutical Law that relates to
the application on marketing authorisation of:
Such products are herbal substances used for medical purpose (for treatment). Our Art 20 paragraph 4
products also have its monograph in the Polish Pharmacopoeia. Such products are authorised based on
simplified dossier regulated by local decree which exactly lists these products. Our Art 20 paragraph 4
herbal medicinal products are also listed in this Decree and are compliant with corresponding
monographs of the Polish Pharmacopoeia.
The question is whether such herbal medicinal products have to be reported to XEVMPD in order to
fulfil requirement of Article 57(2)?
Answer: As per section 1.2. of this document, registered herbal products are exempted from the
requirements of Article 57(2) of Regulation 726/2004. However, as per the description in your
question, if the herbal product has been authorised following a procedure developed at national level,
such product should not be exempted from the Article 57(2) requirement and therefore your company
will need to comply as appropriate.
Question: In France, we have a validation of our homeopathic products by ANSM. Products, which are
already validated, have a marketing authorisation and an SmPC (with therapeutic indication, etc.).
Requested data can therefore be submitted to the XEVMPD. Other medicinal products are still not
validated to date and dispose of a visa (and not a MA) with no specified therapeutic indication etc.
Answer: The addressees for the obligations laid down in Article 57(2) are "marketing-authorisation
holders" and that the obligations do not extend to "registration holders". Homeopathic medicinal
products (HMPs) registered according to the procedure described in Article 14 of Directive 2001/83/EC
have been excluded from the obligation described in Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC0 726/2004). With
regard to HMPs, pharmaceutical legislation distinguishes between "marketing authorisation" obtained
on the basis of Article 8 and "registration" according Article 14. By mentioning no specified therapeutic
indication for the medicinal product in question it is much closer to Article 14 or "third way" concept
specific for the French system ("visa") than to the "full" marketing authorisation. In view of this
clarification, information on homeopathic medicinal products referred to in your question will have to
be provided once a marketing authorisation for those products has been obtained.
Answer: Yes, since Directive 2010/84/EU, Regulation (EU) No 1235/2010 and Regulation (EU) No
1027/2012 have been incorporated into the EEA Agreement and entered into force in the EEA on 28
May 2014 and therefore now apply to the EEA countries outside the EU. Marketing-authorisation
holders are therefore required to electronically submit to the Agency information on medicinal products
authorised in the EEA countries outside the EU (i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
See section 1.1.1. Submission of medicinal products authorised in EEA countries outside the EU of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related
information.
Question: Technically, Liechtenstein does not have any registrations; it has a list of "Zugelassene
Arzneimittel". These consist of all CP records, all records registered in Switzerland, and registrations in
Austria since 2010 if they are registered with a special procedure. Since they are not actually
registered in Liechtenstein, are these products still required for the XEVMPD?
If these registrations are indeed required, for the records which are copies of the Swiss records, who
should be referenced as the appropriate QPPV? Should it be the QPPV of the EU/EEA registrations or
the QPPV of the Switzerland registrations?
Answer: See section 1.1.1.1. Submission of medicinal products authorised in Liechtenstein of Chapter
3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Regarding which QPPV should be referenced in your AMP entities, the following key principles, stated in
"GVP Module I - Pharmacovigilance systems and their quality systems" should be taken into account in
order to decide on the EU QPPV to be declared for each registration:
"As part of the pharmacovigilance system, the marketing-authorisation holder shall have permanently
and continuously at its disposal an appropriately qualified person responsible for pharmacovigilance in
the EU (QPPV) [DIR Art 104(3)(a)]."….
"The QPPV shall reside and operate in the EU [DIR Art 104 (3) last paragraph]. Following European
Economic Area (EEA) agreements, the QPPV may also reside and operate in Norway, Iceland or
Liechtenstein."
Question: Why do we need to submit separate AMP entities for medicinal products authorised via the
centralised procedure in EU and in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway? Is this a new requirement? This
will lead to four records for a CAP.
Answer: This is not a new requirement. This has been communicated on Art57 webpages, in Chapter
3.II (section "1.2.12.1 Authorisation Country Code") and in this document in 2014. In December 2014,
Chapter 3.II was updated to explain why the country code "EU" should not be applied for records in
IC/NO/LI as these states are not member states of the EU. As per Chapter 3.II: "The marketing
authorisations granted by the European Commission have to be transposed by the competent
authorities of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through corresponding decisions on the basis of
relevant national laws. In such a case, these marketing authorisations granted in Iceland, Liechtenstein
and Norway are legally separate from the Commission’s decision granting MA." Therefore, for medicinal
products authorised in Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland via the centralised procedure, the applicable
country code (i.e. LI/NO/IS) must be specified (and not the "EU" country code).
Question: Our company holds marketing authorisations for medicinal products which are not yet
marketed. Do we need to enter these products in the XEVMPD if they are not yet on the market?
Answer: Obligations laid down in Article 57(2) apply to marketing-authorisation holders regardless if
their medicinal products are being marketed or not. As per information stated in section 1.1. Medicinal
products within the scope of Article 57(2 of this document, your authorised medicinal products should
therefore be submitted to the XEVMPD per Article 57(2) requirements.
Question: Do veterinary products also need to be entered as part of Article 57(2) implementation?
Answer: Veterinary medicinal products are out of scope of the requirements of Article 57(2) of
Regulation (EC) 726/2004.
Question: We have some products registered using the simplified procedure (Article 126a). Do these
products need to be submitted in the XEVMPD? If yes, under which procedure type should we submit
such products?
The indication of medicinal product authorised according to Article 126a of Directive No 2001/83/EC
can be provided in the XEVPRM data field 'Legal basis (AP.12.13)'. See Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for further information.
Question: How should products authorised in Germany through the 'Standardzulassung' be provided?
Should these products be entered in the XEVMPD database? If yes, which authorisation procedure is
applicable?
Answer: The Agency, as well as the Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) both
support the inclusion of products authorised via the 'Standardzulassung' (standard marketing
authorisation) in the XEVMPD, with the exceptions of human medicinal products authorised according
to Directive 2001/83/EC, article 3, number 2 and all standard registrations (traditional herbal medicinal
products). The corresponding 'Fachinformation' should be provided as PPI attachment.
The authorisation procedure to be provided in the XEVPRM data field 'Authorisation procedure
(AP.12.2)' should be specified as 'EU authorisation procedures - National Procedure (4)'.
Question: Can you please advise how to enter in the XEVMPD medicinal products, which are
authorised in Germany, and for which no authorisation date exists as they are so-called "Fiktive
Zulassungen"?
Answer: "Fiktive Zulassungen" products, for which the procedure is pending are not authorised (or
registered) in accordance with the EU legislation, and therefore do not fall within the scope of Article
57(2) requirements.
Question: Do Article 57(2) requirements apply to medicinal products falling within the scope of Article
5 of Directive 2001/83/EC, i.e. "Named patient use" and "EU Distribution Procedure"?
Answer: Medicinal products within the scope of Article 5 of Directive 2001/83/EC, i.e. "Named patient
use" falling under Article 5(1) and "EU Distribution Procedure" under Article 5(2) are not considered
"authorised" in the sense of Article 6 of Directive 2001/83/EC or Article 3 of Regulation (EC) 726/2004.
They are therefore excluded from the provisions laid down in Article 57(2) of Regulation 726/2004.
Question: Sweden has a special procedure for approving/registering 'Certain medicinal products for
external use (VUM)'. Are they within the scope of Article 57(2) submission requirements?
Answer: Please note that Article 57(2) makes no distinction between conditional marketing
authorisations and full marketing authorisations. Conditional marketing authorisations shall be
therefore treated equally to full marketing authorisation in terms of the obligation deriving from Article
57(2). Therefore, information on medicinal products authorised in the Union after 2 July 2012 shall be
submitted by marketing-authorisation holders electronically to the Agency as soon as possible and no
later than 15 calendar days from the date of authorisation (i.e. 15 calendar days from the date of
notification of the granting of the marketing authorisation by the competent authority).
Question: Do parallel distributors have to submit information about the authorised medicines per
Article 57(2) requirements?
Answer: The obligation to electronically submit to the Agency information on all medicinal products for
human use authorised in the European Union applies to marketing-authorisation holders. No
information needs to be submitted by parallel distributors.
Question: The obligation to electronically submit to the Agency information on all medicinal products
for human use authorised in the European Union applies to marketing-authorisation holders. No
information needs to be submitted by parallel distributors. But what about parallel imported medicinal
products which are distributed under a licence obtained through a simple procedure? Must the product
information in this case be submitted by each importer?
Answer: Parallel imported medicinal products are not within the scope of Article 57(2) data
submission requirements. However, parallel importers may need to be registered with Eudravigilance
and the XEVMPD to comply with Pharmacovigilance reporting obligations enforced at national level.
Answer: All authorised medicinal products (AMPs) submitted to the XEVMPD using the previous
EudraVigilance Product Report Message (EVPRM) format (i.e. Pre Article 57 format) are considered
legacy data.
Question: Do product records, which were previously submitted to the EVMPD using the old EVPRM
format stay visible and active in the XEVMPD? Do MAHs need to update/maintain such data?
Answer: Medicinal products previously submitted using the old EVPRM format are considered legacy
data. All EVMPD legacy data were migrated to the new XEVPRM format and the Agency assumed the
XEVMPD ownership of such data (i.e. of authorised medicinal products submitted in the XEVMPD using
the previous EudraVigilance Product Report Message format (i.e. Pre Article 57 format) by referencing
'Maintained by EMA' (Organisation EV Code ORG15457)' as the MAH in the concerned AMPs. This is
to flag medicinal products which are not compliant with Article 57(2) requirements and therefore
should not be maintained by marketing-authorisation holders under the Article 57(2) obligations.
The Agency may update information within the legacy product data (i.e. AMPs referencing
'Maintained by EMA') as part of data cleaning activities [e.g. to change the referenced
pharmaceutical form(s), route(s) of administration etc.]. Whilst these changes performed by the
Agency will trigger the generation of the 3rd level XEVPRM Acknowledgement, no action is required to
be performed by the MAH organisation that owns the data in the XEVMPD.
Legacy product data are still visible in the XEVMPD and can be retrieved by MAHs using EVWEB
Advanced Queries section - the condition 'Pre Article 57 format' must be selected and/or ORG15457
must be specified in the "MAH Code" field (AP.4).
Question: Can we use a medicinal product record previously submitted in the XEVMPD as a "template"
to create a new medicinal product record?
Answer: Yes, it is possible. Marketing-authorisation holders can use a medicinal product entity
previously submitted in the XEVMPD to create a new medicinal product entity. Using simple or
advanced queries in EVWEB retrieve the AMP record. Use operation type 'Reinsert' available under
'Other operations' to move the medicinal product entity in the 'Create and Send Product Reports'
section of EVWEB. Amend/populate the required data elements and submit this medicinal product via
an XEVPRM with the operation type 'Insert' (1) using EVWEB (available to EVWEB users) or send the
XEVPRM via EV Post functionality (available to EVWEB and Gateway users). Following a successful
submission, new EV Code will be assigned.
Question: How should MAHs notify the Agency of new marketing authorisations? What are the
timelines?
Answer: In accordance with the Legal Notice on the Implementation of Article 57(2) of Regulation
(EC) No. 726/2004, information on medicinal products for new marketing authorisations in the Union
after 2 July 2012 shall be submitted by marketing-authorisation holders electronically to the Agency as
soon as possible and no later than 15 calendar days from the date of authorisation (i.e. 15 calendar
days from the date of notification of the granting of the marketing authorisation by the competent
authority).
Medicinal product data shall be submitted to the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary
(XEVMPD) using the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Report Message (XEVPRM) with
operation type 'Insert' (1).
See section 1.1 Initial Submission of an Authorised Medicinal Product (AMP) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for further information.
Question: In accordance with the published guideline, MAHs are obliged to submit information on
newly authorised medicinal products "as soon as possible and no later than 15 calendar days from the
date of authorisation (i.e. 15 calendar days from the date of notification of the granting of the
marketing authorisation by the competent authority" Our question is:
a) Are those 15 calendar days starting from the date when the decision is issued by the NCA (i.e. the
date that is stated on the notification document issued by the NCA); or
b) 15 days from the date when the MAH actually receives the notification document from the NCA?
Answer: The compliance with the timelines stated in the Legal Notice [paragraph 2. Timelines, section
2(b)] is subject to MAHs receiving a Marketing Authorisation document issued by the National
Competent Authority (NCA).
Therefore, the 15 calendar day timeline apply from the date of receipt of the Marketing Authorisation
document and not the date of authorisation/renewal which is stated in the Marketing Authorisation
document.
Question: MAHs shall submit to the Agency information on newly authorised medicinal products as
soon as possible and no later than 15 calendar days from the date of authorisation. Are the 15
calendar days the timeline for submission of the XEVPRM with the AMP information (irrespective of the
outcome of the submission), or do we need to ensure that we receive a positive XEVPRM
Acknowledgement within the 15 calendar days?
Question: Does the timeline of 15 calendar days also apply to medicinal products that our company
acquired following a transfer of marketing authorisation from another MAH?
Answer: The timeline of 15 calendar days from the date of authorisation applies only for NEW granted
marketing authorisations.
The transfer of marketing authorisation is not a new marketing authorisation and therefore should be
addressed as part of the maintenance process of information on medicinal products described in
section 2. Maintenance of medicinal product data of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product
report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
3.1.4. NEW: Start of 30 calendar day timeline to notify the EMA following a
transfer of MA
Question: The marketing authorisation of some of our medicinal products is being transferred to
another MAH. The transfer was approved on 1 June 2018 but the implementation date is set for 31
December 2018, which is also the date already stated in section 10. Date of revision of the text of the
SmPCs. Can you please clarify when does the 30 calendar day timeline to notify the EMA of this
transfer start? It is from the approval date or from the impementation date?
Answer: Since the responsibilities of the new MAH start when the transfer is approved, the MAHs
should notify the Agency of the transfer of MA using the processes described in section 2.4.3. Transfer
of marketing authorisation of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM)
user guidance as soon as possible and no later than 30 calendar days from the date of approval.
Question: Whilst the submission of traditional herbal medicinal products registered via the simplified
registration procedure (traditional use-registration) on the basis of Article 16a of Directive 2001/83/EC
is out of scope of Article 57(2) requirements, registration holders (RHs) should insert the information
on such medicinal products in the Article 57 database to be compliant with their pharmacovigilance
requirements. What is the timeline for submission of these medicinal products?
Answer: As per information stated in the Note for clarification: Traditional herbal medicinal product
and simplified registration for homeopathic medicinal products: pharmacovigilance requirements and
EudraVigilance access: “holders of traditional use registrations for herbal medicines should submit the
information for these medicines using the electronic format referred to as Article 57 format or
eXtended EudraVigilance Product Report Message (XEVPRM) format. Registration holders should also
ensure that the information is kept up to date. The Article 57 database already allows for data
submission for traditional use registrations for herbal medicines in line with the requirements and
business processes described in Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.”
• Submission of information on new herbal medicinal products registered via the simplified
registration procedure (traditional use-registration): as soon as possible and no later than 15
calendar days from the date of registration [i.e. 15 calendar days from the date of notification of
the granting of the traditional herbal registration (THR) by the competent authority];
• Submission of variations to the initial traditional herbal registration: as soon as possible and no
later than 30 calendar days from the date of which the changes have been approved by the
competent authority.
Question: In some European countries, medicinal products are authorised according to an "Umbrella
authorisation". It means that marketing-authorisation holders can have a marketing authorisation for
instance for five strengths and ten allergens (under the same marketing authorisation number). How
should this product be submitted in the XEVMPD?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.1 Initial Submission of an Authorised Medicinal Product (AMP) of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for
information on how are medicinal products are characterised for XEVPRM submissions.
Question: Based on the guidance stated in Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance, it seems that below is going in the direction of adopting a definition
from IDMP, when a medicinal product is the same product, or when it is different and should have its
own record.
It is however unclear under which conditions a change in a) and e) is a correction (same product with
changed data) or when it is a change that requires a creation of new medicinal product? If a new
product should be inserted, what happens to the old record? Should it be nullified?
Answer: The process to follow if the name of the medicinal product (a) or the qualitative and
quantitative composition (e) changes depends on the type of the regulatory procedure:
• if it is a line extension and the existing product is still marketed with the same name, composition
and MA number, the existing medicinal product entity should be retained and the new product
(with the new name/composition) should be inserted (operation = 'Insert') as a standalone entity;
• if it is a variation, which changes the name of the medicinal product and the MA number remains
unchanged, an update should be performed on the existing medicinal product entity (operation
type 'Update');
• if it is a variation, which changes the composition and the MA number, please follow the process
described in section 2.4.1.1 Business process - Authorisation number has changed following a
variation described in Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM)
user guidance. It is a two-step process, in which the MAH must retire the authorised medicinal
product for which the marketing authorisation number is no longer valid by using the operation
type 'Invalidate MA' and a new AMP entity must be submitted in the XEVMPD using the operation
type 'Insert'.
Question: How should we submit a medicinal product, for which the same marketing authorisation
number covers several pack sizes?
Answer: See EXAMPLE 2 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM)
user guidance for the requested information.
Question: In Luxembourg, there are two numbers mentioned in the marketing authorisation:
Registration Number and Package Registration Number. In Luxembourg, we market exactly the same
package(s) as in Belgium, stating the Belgian MA number. The Luxembourgish MA number is not
mentioned on the package. The Belgian SmPC does not state the Luxembourgish MA number. What
information should we submit to the EMA?
Question: How should we submit a nationally authorised medicinal product for which different
marketing authorisation numbers are assigned based on its pack size/pack characteristics in the
XEVMPD?
See EXAMPLE 3 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user
guidance for related information.
Question: We are the MAH of a medicinal product which is registered through MRP procedure and
which has 11 different pack sizes (7, 14, 28, 30, 35, 42, 50, 56, 90, 98 and 100 tablets). According to
the MA licence, all 11 pack sizes mentioned are approved, but not all of these presentations are
marketed. The NCA issued an MA number only for the pack sizes marketed – in section 8 of the SmPC
only the marketed pack sizes are listed, with the respective MA number. Up to now I have inserted in
the XEVMPD only the marketed pack sizes since there is no MA number for the not-marketed packs.
Could you please advise how to handle this situation? If I have to insert all of the not-marketed
presentations what should I insert in the "Authorisation number" field?
Answer: In this specific case, since all of the presentations are authorised, those without the assigned
authorisation number must be inserted in the XEVMPD with the procedure number assigned by the
NCA or the MRP procedure number (if no procedure number is assigned by the NCA).
Question: For a centrally authorised medicinal product, is only one XEVMPD record required to cover
all countries?
Answer: For centrally authorised medicinal products, different authorisation numbers (EU numbers)
exist for each medicinal product and package presentation. Therefore, for each presentation (each EU
number) a separate medicinal product entity should be submitted in the XEVMPD. See EXAMPLE 6 and
section 1.2.12.1. Authorisation country code (AP.12.1) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance
product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related information.
Question: This question is relative to the rules applying to the case of products to be reconstituted
prior administration.
For instance: Concentrate (docetaxel 20 mg/0.5 ml) and solvent for solution for infusion; packaging: 1
vial + 1 vial x concentrate: 0.5 ml; solvent: 1.5 ml.
Please indicate what are the XEVMPD rules required in the following case: Is it required to describe a
single pharmaceutical product in this case as follows: - Pharmaceutical form = Concentrate and solvent
for solution for infusion, Strength of API = 20 mg/ 2 ml (i.e. after reconstitution, pre-administration to
the patient)? Please provide detailed specifications and comments.
Answer: In the XEVMPD, "pharmaceutical product" refers to the administrable pharmaceutical form as
stated in section 1.2.17.1. Administrable Pharmaceutical form (PP.1) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: One of our products has no 'active' ingredient because it is a negative control solution: do
we have to register such a medicinal product?
Answer: See NOTE 10 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM)
user guidance for the requested information.
Question: How should medicinal product information be provided in the XEVMPD when the packaged
medicinal product contains different types of pharmaceutical products (e.g. KIT products that might
have different pharmaceutical forms and thus different routes of administrations registered in one
MA)? How should such products be entered in the XEVMPD?
For example: The active substance described in section 2. Qualitative and Quantitative Composition of
the SmPC states that our product is a chemical product, on which the radioactive element is fixed after
reconstitution. The pharmaceutical form defined in section 3. Pharmaceutical Form of the SmPC is
'powder for injection'. The way to reconstitute the kit is described in the SmPC. The active substance in
the reconstituted product is the "chemical product-radioactive element complex" which is a solution for
injection. The EMA substance list defines XEVMPD codes for both substances: the chemical product and
the "chemical product-radioactive element complex".
Our question is: which substance has to be considered as the Active substance? Is it:
1) The chemical product; pharmaceutical form = powder for injection as defined in sections 2 & 3 of
the SmPC with a quantity in milligrams; or
2) The "chemical product-radioactive element complex"; pharmaceutical form = solution for injection
with a quantity in mega-Becquerels (radioactivity measure)?
Answer: KIT products with different pharmaceutical forms and routes of administrations should be
entered in the XEVMPD as separate pharmaceutical products within one medicinal product entity. The
same rule applies to combination products (i.e. where a packaged medicinal product contains two
different pharmaceutical products e.g. tablet and cream).
See section 1.2.17 AMP - Pharmaceutical product elements (AP.PPs), EXAMPLE 40 and EXAMPLE 41 of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related
information.
With regards to your specific example, as stated in Section 2 of the SmPC for the described medicinal
product, the active substance(s) and the strength for the Kit for radiopharmaceutical preparation
should be described in the XEVMPD for the finished product, i.e. after reconstitution referring to the
'chemical product-radioactive element complex', solution for injection with a quantity in mega-
Becquerels (radioactivity measure). The authorised pharmaceutical form is "Powder for injection"
(EVCode = PHF00194MIG) and the administrable pharmaceutical form is "Solution for injection"
(EVCode = PHF00231MIG).
Question: In accordance with the information stated in the Legal Notice on the Implementation of
Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004, information on medicinal products for which a new
marketing authorisations in the Union was obtained after 2 July 2012 shall be submitted by MAHs
electronically to the Agency no later than 15 calendar days from the date of authorisation and
information on any amendments to the terms of the marketing authorisations following variation,
transfer, renewal, suspension, revocation or withdrawal should be submitted no later than 30 calendar
days from the date of which the amendments have been authorised.
If we are unable to comply with this timelines due to circumstances beyond our control, what should
we do?
Answer: Organisations unable to submit medicinal product information within the 15/30 calendar day
timelines should inform the Agency of their expected submission plan by sending a notification to the
EMA Service Desk (https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu/).
Please submit your notification as a "Question", specifying "Delayed Article 57 submission
notification" in the subject. It is sufficient to send a single notification for each Headquarter/Affiliate
registration ID. The following information must be provided:
• volume of data (the number of product records to be submitted during the specified timeframe);
• timeline for submission (the start date and completion date of the electronic submission)
Question: Which parts of the data in the XEVMPD are handled confidentially? For the non-confidential
data - are they be visible to a registered user group or for everybody (e.g. published on an internet
website)?
Answer: All mandatory and optional data elements [with the exception of the QPPV name and contact
details and the referenced PPI attachment(s)] in the XEVMPD entities flagged as "Valid" are in the
XEVMPD visible and accessible to all stakeholders registered with EudraVigilance (i.e. there are no user
restrictions). Please refer to section 1.7.7. Data Access Policy of the XEVMPD Data-Entity Tool (EVWEB)
User Manual.
Question: In our AMPs submissions we included the concentration of excipients. Can you confirm that
this information will be confidential and not visible to other organisations?
Answer: As stated in section 1.2.17.9. Excipient substance strength of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance: "It is optional to describe the
strength(s) of excipient(s)."
Should you wish not to disclose this information, we recommend that you perform an update
(operation type 2 = 'Update') of the affected AMP entities and remove the excipients' substance
strengths.
Question: Does the Agency support non-Latin/accented characters in EEA languages as well? Does the
EMA expect metadata in Bulgarian or Greek to be scripted in Latin characters?
Answer: Yes, the Agency expects and therefore supports non-Latin /accented characters in EEA
languages. The UTF-8 character set should be used.
For WEB Trader users, the submission in non-Latin characters should be made using the XHTML
version of XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB). This option can be selected in the display setting drop
down menu in the top left corner of EVWEB. The tree view in XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB) will
however not show the non-Latin characters.
Please note that non-ASCII characters are not allowed for the attachment file name.
Question: In what language should we submit information on our authorised medicinal product data
(i.e. presentation name elements, substance information, pharmaceutical forms etc.)?
Answer:
• The presentation name elements in data fields AP.13.1 - AP.13.6 must be entered in the language
of the country where the marketing authorisation applies in accordance with the referenced PPI
attachment (e.g. SmPC, PIL etc. as applicable). For details see Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance, sections:
Each approved substance successfully submitted in the XEVMPD has an assigned EV Code. The
preferred name of the approved substance is entered in English. Each translation and synonym is
linked to the master substance EV Code.
List of available substances with their assigned EV Codes can be found in the XEVMPD look-up
table and in the Controlled Vocabulary (CV) lists published on the Agency's website - see
"eXtended Eudravigilance Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) substances". The list contains substance
data available in the XEVMPD at the time of publication.
If a new approved substance/substance translation or a synonym needs to be submitted in the
XEVMPD, please refer to the process described in the communication Changes to some business
rules of the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD): Submission of
substance information or in section 1.4 Initial submission of an Approved Substance Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: What language should we use to submit medicinal product information of medicinal
products authorised in countries with more than one official language? For example in Finland where
we have two official languages, the SmPCs for medicinal products authorised via the national
procedure exist only in Finnish. Package leaflets are available in Finnish and Swedish.
Answer: Please refer to Note 15, Table 1b - Requirements for AMP records and attachments for
countries with more than one national language and AMPLE 68 of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for the required information.
Question: As per the latest guidance provided in Chapter 3.II: XEVPRM User Guidance, the full
presentation names of medicinal products authorised centrally in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
are to be provided in English. Previously, these were requested in the national languages. What is the
rationale behind this change? Do we need to perform a dedicated update of these AMP entities?
Answer: As per information stated in Chapter 3.II, subsequent experience over time showed that the
provision of the name in English is preferable in order to allow the Agency group similar CAPs based on
Question: Can you please confirm that the translations of substances names have to be provided
whenever SmPC uses them?
Answer: The substance information in an authorised medicinal product entity must be provided as
presented in the SmPC corresponding to the language of the country where the marketing
authorisation applies. The same character set as presented in the SmPC must be used. Each approved
substance successfully submitted in the XEVMPD has an assigned EV Code. The preferred name of the
approved substance is entered in English. Each translation and synonym is linked to the master
substance EV Code.
EVWEB users should select the requested substance name in the EudraVigilance remote look-up table.
Gateway users should populate the 'Active ingredient substance code' data element (PP.ACT.1),
'Excipient substance code' data element (PP.EXC.1) or 'Adjuvant substance code' data element
(PP.ADJ.1) with the assigned substance EV Code as per the available "eXtended Eudravigilance Product
Dictionary (XEVMPD) substances" CV list.
Question: We provide the translations for the active substance and excipients in the language of the
SmPC, as per instructions in the guidance documents. However, when we save the XML file or re-load
the AMP in EVWEB for update, the substance name does not appear in the national language (i.e. as
the translation) but in English. Why is that? Do we need to amend the substance names so they are in
the national language every time we do an update of the AMP?
Answer: As per our guidance, substance information must be submitted in line with the applicable
SmPC (i.e. in the language of the SmPC). Each translation and synonym is linked to a master
substance code – the preferred name of the master substance is in English.
In your initial submission, when creating the XEVPRM with your AMP via EVWEB, you reference the
substance name in the national language:
You do not need to amend the substance information to "rename" the substance name back to the
national language.
If the translation of the requested substance name is not available, you need to request for it to be
added in the XEVMPD as per the processes described in the in the communication Changes to some
business rules of the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD): Submission of
substance information or in section 1.4 Initial submission of an Approved Substance of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance..
Question: Can substance names for herbal medicinal products be provided in Latin? Does this apply
also to homeopathic medicines?
Answer: In accordance with Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) 726/2004 the electronic submission
focuses on information on medicinal products for human use authorised in the European Union. This
does not include registrations of traditional herbal medicinal products (Chapter 2a of Directive
2001/83/EC) and registrations of homeopathic medicinal products registered according to the
simplified registration procedure (Article 14 of Directive 2001/83/EC).
Traditional herbal medicinal products and homeopathic medicinal products may be submitted in the
XEVMPD on voluntary basis in line with the requirements and business processes described in Chapter
3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Latin binomial plant names or Latin herbal preparation names of authorised medicinal products are
acceptable if reflected in the SmPC. The substance name(s) are to be specified as reflected in the
SmPC of the authorised medicinal product and in accordance with the national language(s) as
applicable, or the Latin name if reflected in the SmPC.
List of available substances with their assigned EV Codes can be found in the XEVMPD look-up table
and in the Controlled Vocabulary (CV) lists published on the Agency's website - see "eXtended
Eudravigilance Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) substances". The list contains substance data available in
the XEVMPD at the time of publication.
Question: Not all EEA national languages are available for the MedDRA coding - what is the
expectation for those languages not supported?
Answer: The indication(s) need to be coded using MedDRA in its latest version. Also supplemental
MedDRA terms that will be included in the next MedDRA version can be used.
Where a specific language is not supported in MedDRA, the MedDRA Code associated with the English
equivalent term should be used.
Question: Can MAHs use English text to provide the package description or must this field be provided
in the official language of the SmPC for national procedures?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.15. Package description (AP.13.7) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for the requested information.
Question: Is the submission of Printed Product Information (PPI) mandatory? If so, what shall we
provide as a PPI for our medicinal product entity?
Answer: Yes, it is mandatory to provide the Printed Product Information (PPI) as part of the initial
submission of an authorised medicinal product and/or as part of the maintenance of a medicinal
product entity as per the applicable maintenance process(es) described in section 2. Maintenance of
medicinal product data of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM)
user guidance.
Please refer to section 1.10. Submission of an attachment of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance
product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for details regarding the content of the attachment.
Answer: The Agency needs to be able to validate the data submitted by the MAH and ensure that the
data is correct. If the MAH confirms that no document stating the applicable authorisation number is
available, the Agency will assume that the number stated in the "Authorisation Number" field provided
by the MAH is correct.
Question: Why do we need to submit the PPI attachment? What is the added value?
The added value is to have the full information (e.g. contraindications, special warnings and
precautions for use, etc.) on the medicinal product in case of arising safety concerns.
There is a technical business rule where the system validates automatically if an attachment has been
provided or cross-referenced for a medicinal product submission.
Answer: As per section 1.10. Submission of an attachment of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance
product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance:
The attachments can be provided in the following formats: .PDF, .DOC, .DOCX, .XLS and .XLSX.
Marketing-authorisation holders are not to send PDF scanned documents, but need to provide
"genuine" PDF documents.
For PDF attachments, PDF file version 1.4 or 1.7 should be used as these are the only two versions
that are ISO standards compliant. They are used for long term preservation of information and
therefore we will have assurance that we will be able to open them for many years.
ISO 19005 - Document management - Electronic document file format for long-term
preservation (PDF/A):
Based on PDF
Part Name Formal name Release date Standard
version
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanned documents may also be provided when the scanned PDF
document cannot be electronically converted into an editable copy.
Question: Sometimes the SmPC is not available. For example, in some countries, old products do not
have an approved SmPC and only an old approved leaflet is available. In case of homeopathic
medicines, the SmPC is not always part of the approval process. Do companies have to provide
replacement data?
Question: We understand that an AMP authorised via national, mutually recognised and decentralised
procedure must refer to the SmPC in the language of the country or authorisation. Sometimes
however, the SmPC is not available in the local language at the time of submission. Which document
shall we submit in this case?
Answer: Where, in exceptional circumstances, the national SmPC for non-centrally authorised
products and MRPs/DCPs/NAPs is not available, a similar text (i.e. the English text of the procedure)
can be used as an attachment for the submission in the XEVMPD. The data elements AP.13.1 - AP.13.6
must however be provided in the language of the country where the marketing authorisation
applies. When the SmPC in the national language becomes available, it must be provided in the
context of the data maintenance, i.e. when the variations lead to changes as listed in section 2.4.1.
Variations of marketing authorisation of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: What the marketing-authorisation holder has to submit in case that marketing authorisation
was granted before 19xx and therefore certain information might not have been available at that time?
Answer: The information to be provided in the context of Article 57(2) is identical for all medicinal
products authorised in the European Union, independent of the year of authorisation.
Question: For Luxembourgish marketing authorisations there are no approved texts (SPCs/PILs) and
instead, the texts approved by the Belgian regulatory authority are circulated. Although circulated in
Luxembourg, the texts do not detail the Luxembourgish licenses numbers; they only detail the Belgian
license numbers.
When entering records for Luxembourgish marketing authorisations into the XEVMPD, we have
submitted the Belgian texts and include the Luxembourgish authorisation numbers in the 'Authorisation
number field'. Please confirm whether our approach is correct.
Answer: We can confirm that this approach is correct. Please also note that in case that the approved
SmPC does not state an authorisation number, a date of authorisation/renewal or the MAH, an
additional document stating the missing information (e.g. copy of the document granting or renewing
marketing authorisation) should also be provided as an additional PPI attachment. This will allow the
Agency to validate the information submitted by the MAH.
Question: How should a PPI attachment be named? How can the link between an XEVPRM and
attachment be maintained?
The link between the product information and its PPI attachment (SmPC) is maintained via a PPI EV
Code. If the SmPC of a product changes, a new PPI should be submitted via an XEVPRM and the
relevant product(s) should be updated referencing the new PPI EV Code (see section 2. Maintenance of
medicinal product data for further information of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: What shall we specify as SmPC 'Version number (ATT.7)' and 'Version date (ATT.8)'? Does
this information have to be actually present in the attachment (physical document i.e. SmPC) provided
to XEVMPD?
Answer: Please refer to sections 1.10.7. Attachment version (ATT.7) and 1.10.8. Attachment version
date (ATT.8) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user
guidance for the requested information.
Question: Will the PPI be visible to all XEVMPD users or to the public?
Answer: With regards to the visibility of PPI, only the latest version of the SmPC for a medicinal
product is retrievable/visible in the XEVMPD by users registered with EudraVigilance. Non-current PPI
versions will be archived.
Question: What information needs to be provided for some of the data fields within each authorised
medicinal product entity? The guidance provided in Chapter 3.I technical specifications is not very
clear. Can you please clarify what we need to enter in e.g. "sender local code" and "info date" etc.?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2 Authorised medicinal product - element structure of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for detailed description of
what information (and when) needs to be provided for each data element.
Question: Which value shall we select in the field Legal basis (AP.12.13) for old medicinal products?
Answer: Please refer to Note 5 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance for the requested information.
Question: How do we correctly populate the medicinal product name and name part elements of an
authorised medicinal product entity in the XEVMPD?
3.16.1.1. Name in the title of an SmPC document vs. name in section 1 of the SmPC
Question: The SmPC of a medicinal product authorised in Denmark often contains more information
on the name of the product in the title of the document than in section 1.
EXAMPLE:
Which of the two names should be captured in the full presentation name field?
Answer: In products from Denmark where the title contains more detailed information than section 1,
the name stated in the title should be captured in the full presentation name field, with the other
'Presentation Name' data elements being derived from this name.
Question: According to the technical specification, the product name is a mandatory field in which
only one entity can be made. However, in some countries, one marketing authorisation number is
granted for a product that is marketed with multiple trade names. How should we enter such medicinal
products in the XEVMPD and capture the relevant name part elements of each medicinal product?
Answer: As stated in section 1.1 Initial Submission of an Authorised Medicinal Product (AMP) of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance:
"Medicinal products are being characterised as part of the initial XEVPRM submissions based on the
main following characteristics:
a) Name of the medicinal product
b) Marketing-authorisation holder
c) Marketing authorisation number
d) Authorising body (i.e. Competent Authority)
e) Qualitative and quantitative composition (ingredients, strength,
authorised/administrable pharmaceutical form)
Whenever any of the characteristics described above (point a. to e.) for a medicinal product are
different, a separate medicinal product entity should be submitted in the XEVMPD. This also applies to
medicinal products for which one marketing authorisation has been issued with the same marketing
authorisation number.
Therefore, the presentation name elements will be populated for each medicinal product entity as per
guidance provided in section 1.2.13 AMP - Presentation Name element structure (AP.13) of Chapter
3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: If section 1 of the SmPC states the name of the medicinal product in more than one
language as shown in the below example, should the "name fields" be populated with the Bulgarian
EXAMPLE
Answer: The presentation name elements in data fields AP.13.1 - AP.13.6 must be entered in the
language of the country where the marketing authorisation applies in accordance with the referenced
SmPC. As in this example the authorisation country of the product is Bulgaria, only the product name
in Bulgarian language should be used.
Question: There are several authorisation numbers for the same product. How do we capture this in
the XEVMPD? Do we create one medicinal product entity and enter all of the numbers in the
'Authorisation Number field'?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.12.4 Authorisation number (AP.12.4) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: We have several medicinal products authorised in Cyprus using the 126a application
process. As the 126a process was used, there is no Cyprus-specific SmPC, only the SmPC for the UK
licence on which the 126a application was made. For these product entries we have used the Cypriot
authorisation number and, as the product attachment, the SmPC for the UK licence as there is no other
relevant product attachment. It that a correct approach? Or should we replace the Cypriot
authorisation number with the UK product licence number (as it appears in Section 8 of the English
SmPC) for these product entries?
Answer: Your approach is correct. You should not replace the Cypriot authorisation number stated in
the "Authorisation Number" field (AP.12.4) with the English product licence number for these product
entries. You should only update these product entries and submit an additional document stating the
Cypriot authorisation number (i.e. document granting/renewing marketing authorisation in Cyprus).
These medicinal product entries will therefore reference two attachments (i.e. SmPC for the UK licence
and document with the Cyprus-specific authorisation number).
Question: How should we proceed if the SmPC of the AMP does not contain any authorisation number
in section 8. Marketing authorisation number(s)?
Question: We have a question concerning a few unusual cases of Portuguese registrations. These
registrations are approved by the Portuguese authority, but were not assigned any registration
numbers because they are not marketed at the moment. Must these registrations be submitted to the
EMA or would we only do so once they are marketed and have an assigned registration number? In
case they must be submitted immediately, please inform us how this should be done without the
registration number.
Answer: Since these registrations have been authorised, even if they are not marketed, they must be
submitted in the XEVMPD. You should specify the procedure number (i.e. national procedure number or
MRP/DCP number if no national procedure number has been assigned for an MRP/DCP procedure) in
the authorisation number data element (AP.12.4) and attach the document granting marketing
authorisation as an additional PPI attachment.
3.17.1.4. Multiple authorisation numbers stated for individual components which are part of
the same package
Question: The SmPC of a medicinal product authorised in the United Kingdom states the following
information:
1. Name of the medicinal product: "ProductX 2 million IU/mL powder and solvent for solution for
injection."
PL 12345/0001
Could you please advise if we should create one XEVMPD product entity for each authorisation number
or a single product entity stating both authorisation numbers in the “Authorisation Number” field?
Answer: Since the two authorisation numbers listed in Section 8 of the SmPC refer to the same
authorised medicinal product (the water for injection in pre-filled syringe is part of the same product),
only one XEVMPD product entity should be created. With regards to the data element AP.12.4
(Authorisation number), as the current requirement is to specify only one authorisation number for
each entity, this field should conventionally be populated with the authorisation number that does not
refer to the solvent preparation containing water (i.e. PL 12345/0001 must be specified in AP.12.4).
Question: As part of the EMA QC, we noticed changes made to the MA Numbers in Iceland. In
Iceland, the MA Number as granted by the local NCA can be composed of 6 digits, e.g. 123456. In the
SmPC, the MA Number made of 6 digits is represented with the suffix (IS), e.g. 123456 (IS). Which MA
Number should be reported? The MA Number as granted by the Icelandic NCA (i.e. the 6 digits only) or
the MA Number as indicated in the SmPC (i.e. with the IS extension)?
Question: The MA number as granted by the Bulgarian NCA can also include the first authorisation
date (i.e. II-5678/27.06.2003). Which MA number should be reported? The MA number as indicated in
the SmPC (i.e. including the first authorisation date) or the MA number only, without any date?
Answer: The MA number to be reported for AMPs authorised nationally in Bulgaria is the MA number
without any reference to the authorisation date (i.e. II-5678). This is because the number without the
date is a unique identifier.
Question: Greece has two numbers for every product but no marketing authorisation number as
recognised in other countries:
1/ a product code, a unique identifier used to identify the product during its entire life cycle which is
stated on the Approval Certificate but not in the SmPC; and
2/ an approval number, which identifies the individual approval/renewal and changes with every
approval, and which is stated on the Approval Certificate and in the SmPC and includes the
authorisation date (e.g. 12345/11-04-2016).
Which number should be specified in the XEVPRM data element Authorisation number (AP.12.4) for
medicinal product entities authorised in Greece? In case it should be the approval number, should it be
submitted in the format NUMBER/ DD-MM-YYYY (i.e. including the authorisation date) or contain the
MA number only (i.e. without any date)?
Answer: You can either reference the product code OR the approval number in the "Authorisation
Number" field (AP.12.4) for AMPs authorised nationally in Greece.
If you decide to reference the approval number, this should be in the format NUMBER/DD-MM-YYYY
(i.e. including the authorisation date). This is because the number without the date is not a unique
identifier.
MAHs are not required to perform a dedicated update of their product entities in Article 57 database to
amend this information; this can be done as part of a regular maintenance of the AMP entities.
Question: For medicinal products nationally authorised in France; a "package number" is stated in
section 8 of the SmPC but it does not correspond to the Marketing Authorisation number (i.e. NL
number) stated in the marketing authorisation document.
Which number should be specified in the XEVPRM data element Authorisation number (AP.12.4)?
Answer: If you wish to submit only one XEVMPD product entity for all the pack sizes covered by the
NL number, you should specify the NL number in the data element Authorisation number (AP.12.4).
If you wish to submit multiple XEVMPD product entities (i.e. one for each pack size), you may specify
the NL number or the package number stated in section 8 of the SmPC in the data element AP.12.4.
Question: Regarding provision of information for the 'MRP/DCP/EMEA number' field (AP.12.7), we are
unsure if we should enter the MRP/DCP number with the text FDC/DC" or "/MR" or not.
Chapter 3.II states that the MRP/DCP number should be stated as indicated on the Heads of Medicines
Agency's website, which doesn't seem to include the text "/DC" or "/MR". However, companies with
internal databases might want to distinguish the data between DCP, MRP and RUP by including the text
"/DC", "/MR" or "E" in the authorisation number. Please advise how the data should be submitted to
the XEVMPD.
Answer: Please refer to the updated section 1.2.12.7. MRP/DCP/EMEA number (AP.12.7) of Chapter
3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Please define what date should be entered in the "authorisation date" field – when do we
submit the authorisation date and when do we submit the renewal date?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.12.5 Authorisation/renewal date (AP.12.5) of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for the requested
information.
3.17.3.1. Authorisation date of a medicinal product authorised in Iceland via the centralised
procedure
Question: Can you please confirm which date should be specified as the authorisation date for a
centrally authorised product authorised in Iceland? Is it the European Commission Decision date,
marketing authorisation date as assigned by the Icelandic NCA or the date of notification?
Answer: As per section 1.2.12.5. Authorisation/renewal date (AP.12.5) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance: "The date when the first
authorisation was granted by the authorising body or the date when the renewal was granted
(whichever is the latest) must be specified in line with section 9. Date of first authorisation/renewal of
the authorisation of the SmPC".
Therefore, since the Icelandic NCA is the authorising body, the authorisation date to be specified is the
marketing authorisation date as assigned by the Icelandic NCA.
Question: How do we select the correct authorisation procedure for the submission of our medicinal
product?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.12.2 Authorisation procedure (AP.12.2) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for the description of available
authorisation procedure values.
Question: In a product entity, which authorisation procedure should be selected for a Repeat Use
Procedure, which is in principle a second wave MRP?
Answer: For repeat-use procedure, 'EU authorisation procedures - Mutual Recognition Procedure (3)'
should be selected. See also section 1.2.12.7. MRP/DCP/EMEA number (AP.12.7) of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related information.
Question: Will the PSMF location, pharmacovigilance email/phone number and QPPV details be made
public?
Answer: Please refer to the European Medicines Agency pre-authorisation procedural advice for users
of the centralised procedure document, section 3.4.3.9. What information will be made public on the
EU web-portal regarding pharmacovigilance contact details and PSMF locations? Will details of the
QPPV be made public?
For detailed information see also the dedicated Public data from Article 57 database webpage.
Question: Please confirm that it is still mandatory to include an email address in field AP.7 in case of
nullification or withdrawal of a medicinal product.
Answer: From a business process perspective, enquiry phone and enquiry email remain mandatory for
nullification or withdrawal although this is not enforced by technical business rules.
Question: What shall we do if our company does not have an appointed EU QPPV?
Answer: A QPPV is mandatory. The EU QPPV and where such does not exist, the local QPPV (e.g. in
case of purely national authorisations) should register with EudraVigilance.
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.5 Qualified Person responsible for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV) code
(AP.5) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: How can we find our QPPV’s name in the QPPV field (AP.5) in EVWEB? It is a look-up table
but when we type the name of the QPPV or the code of the QPPV we don't get any results?
Question: Is it mandatory to enter the location of the Pharmacovigilance System Master File in the
XEVMPD? If so, how do we enter this information in the XEVMPD?
• The European Medicines Agency pre-authorisation procedural advice for users of the centralised
procedure document, question 3.4.3.4. Pharmacovigilance system master file number (PSMF);
• section 1.11 Initial submission of a Pharmacovigilance System Master File Location (PSMFL) of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: How many MFL EV Codes are requested in case of two different PSMFs at the same
location?
Answer: In cases where a MAH hosts two different PSMFs at the same location, the MAH should obtain
two separate EVCODEs from the XEVMPD that relate to two different PSMF location entities. These two
PSMF locations will be identical but the comment field within the PSMF location entity in the XEVMPD
should be used by the MAH to include an internal MAH reference to distinguish which PSMF is related
the specific PSMF Location EVCODE (MFL EVCODE)."
Please refer to section 1.11 Initial submission of a Pharmacovigilance System Master File Location
(PSMFL) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for
further information.
Question: How will the PSMFL information submitted to the XEVMPD be used?
Answer: The PSMF location information is important for the national competent authorities and the
Agency. The quotes from the legislation below indicate how the information on PSMF location are used:
• REGULATION (EC) No 726/2004, Article 18 (3) states: The supervisory authority for
pharmacovigilance shall be the competent authority of the Member State in which the
pharmacovigilance system master file is located.
• REGULATION (EC) No 726/2004, Article 26 (1) (e) states that: The Agency shall, in collaboration
with the Member States and the Commission, set up and maintain a European medicines web-
portal for the dissemination of information on medicinal products authorised in the Union. By
means of that portal, the Agency shall make public at least the following: ……(e) a list of the
locations in the Union where pharmacovigilance system master files are kept and contact
information for pharmacovigilance enquiries, for all medicinal products authorised in the Union;
The inclusion of the PSMF location information within the XEVMPD database facilitates the
implementation of Article 26 (1) (e) of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 requirement stated above. This is
explained also in the document European Medicines Agency pre-authorisation procedural advice for
users of the centralised procedure document, 3.4.3.9. What information will be made public on the EU
web-portal regarding pharmacovigilance contact details and PSMF locations? Will details of the QPPV be
made public? (Jan 2016).
Question: What is the Pharmacovigilance System Master File number and where/how can we obtain
it?
Answer: The Pharmacovigilance System Master File (PSMF) number is a unique code (MFL EV Code)
assigned by the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) to a specific PSMF
and PSMF location. Please refer to section 1.2.6 Pharmacovigilance System Master File Location
(PSMFL) code (AP.6) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user
guidance for further information.
Answer: As per section 3.4.3.4. Pharmacovigilance system master file number (PSMF) available in the
European Medicines Agency pre-authorisation procedural advice for users of the centralised procedure
document: "Applicants are encouraged to request a PSMF number (MFL EVCODE) in advance of the
marketing authorisation application. If available, the PSMF number (MFL EVCODE) assigned by the
eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) should be included in the statement in
module 1.8.1. However, this information is not part of the compulsory elements per Article 8(3)(ia) of
Directive 2001/3/EC".
Question: We received an EV Code for our PSFML, how can we reference it in out AMP entities in the
XEVMPD? Can the submission of information on the PSMF location be done for all medicinal products,
or shall we have to submit it for all our products impacted separately?
Answer: Regarding the electronic submission of the information on the PSMF location, the same
Master File Location EV Code should be referenced in all medicinal products covered by the same
pharmacovigilance system described in the same pharmacovigilance system master file declared at the
one location within the European Union.
• if the AMP(s) and the PSMFL were submitted via separate XEVPRMs (an EV Code was assigned
for each entity), the PSMFL can be referenced in the AMP entity by amending the AMP entity as
per the process described in Process map 7 – Change of PSMF information of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Because our company is involved with business partnerships, we have 4 organisation IDs
through which we submit messages. Can a PSMF EV Code that we received by the EMA through the
acknowledgement process for one organisation ID be used for future XEVMPD messages for another
organization ID? Or are PSMF EV Codes unique to each organization ID?
Answer: It is necessary to create 1 PSMF for each Headquarter Organisation ID registered in the
system. Two affiliates within the same Headquarter can share the same PSMF. Please refer to section
1.11 Initial submission of a Pharmacovigilance System Master File Location (PSMFL) of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance and specifically:
Question: What types of substances are to be captured in an authorised medicinal product entity?
Answer: All types of substances as reflected in sections 2. Qualitative and Quantitative Composition
and 6.1. List of excipients of the SmPC (i.e. active substance(s), adjuvants where applicable and
excipients) need to be specified.
Please refer to Table 3 - Requirements on how to reflect information on substance and strength in
section 2. Qualitative and Quantitative Composition of the SmPC and section 1.2.17.4 Active ingredient
substance code (PP.ACT.1) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
Answer: Please refer to NOTE 9 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: For one of our AMP section 6.1 of the SmPC states "Opaque (containing Titanium dioxide,
Lactose monohydrate, Polyethylene glycol, Macrogol 3000)". In the drug ingredient section within the
XEVPRM, do we have to submit only the substance names in the parenthesis?
Answer: Please refer to Note 10 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance with regards to submission of substances containing multiple components.
Question: In case that the SmPC states: "Iron oxide red" or "Red iron oxide"; should we request for
new substance entity to be created as per the process described in the communication Changes to
some business rules of the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD):
Submission of substance information, or can a substance with a similar EV Code be used?
Answer: Please note that in this particular case, no new substance entity would be created as "Iron
oxide red" and "Red iron oxide" are synonyms of the preferred substance name "IRON OXIDE RED
(E172)" which is already available in the XEVMPD with the master substance EV Code SUB23080. "Iron
oxide red" or "Red iron oxide" should be requested to be added as synonym of the preferred substance
SUB23080 as per the process described in Changes to some business rules of the eXtended
EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD): Submission of substance information.
See also the document European Medicines Agency substance names best practice: Procedure and
principles to handle substance name in the substance management system for further information.
Question: Description & coding of approved substance names should be submitted to the XEVMPD as
named in the SmPC. Can we use an equivalent naming for one product in order to harmonize data
entity across licenses and avoid creation of many new substance names for a unique ingredient?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.17.3 Pharmaceutical product drug ingredients and medical
device(s) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Can you clarify where Gateway/EVWEB users can view the list of available
synonyms/translations?
Answer: In EVWEB, substance translations and aliases are available within the approved substance
entity, in sections "Substance translations" and "Substance Aliases". Simple or advanced query can
also be performed on the requested substance name.
The controlled vocabulary list EudraVigilance eXtended Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD)
substances includes the column 'Name Type', in which the designation of the substance name is
specified (i.e. " Substance Preferred Name", "Substance Translation", "Substance Alias").
Question: Can you please provide guidance on the description of the strength of active substance?
Answer: Please refer to Table 3 - Requirements on how to reflect information on substance and
strength in section 2. Qualitative and Quantitative Composition of the SmPC and sections 1.2.17.4
Active ingredient substance code (PP.ACT.1) and 1.2.17.5 Active ingredient substance strength of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
3.19.7.1. Description of the strength of a solution where the exact volume is unknown
Question: For authorised pharmaceutical dose forms such as effervescent tablets and granules in
sachet, what should be the administrable pharmaceutical dose form and how should the strength of
Answer: For the authorised pharmaceutical forms such as effervescent tablets and granules in sachet,
the administrable pharmaceutical form is 'oral solution'. If it is not possible to express the strength of
the oral solution with a suitable concentration or unit of presentation, the XEVMPD unit value (of
measurement) 'each' (XEVMPD unit code = 1) must be used to describe the strength of the oral
solution. See example below:
Administrable dose = 200 mg in an unknown volume (e.g. dissolve on half a glass of water)
Denominator value: 1
Question: How should we submit substance information in case that that section 2. Qualitative and
quantitative composition of the SmPC contains e.g. "Each tablet contains Fluoxetine 20 mg as
fluoxetinehydrochloride"?
Answer: Please refer to Table 3 - Requirements on how to reflect information on substance and
strength in section 2. Qualitative and Quantitative Composition of the SmPC and section 1.2.17.4
Active ingredient substance code (PP.ACT.1) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
− If the strength is declared as the amount of base then the base is the substance to be declared
as the ingredient
− If the strength is declared as the amount of the salt then the salt is the substance to be
declared as the ingredient
− In the rare examples where the strength of the salt and the base are both declared, then the
salt is the substance to be declared as the ingredient. This is in line with IDMP where the both
the substance (salt) and the reference substance (base/active moiety) will need to be defined.
Therefore, as per your example, the strength of the active ingredient should be expressed as 20 mg of
fluoxetine per one single tablet.
Question: Do the substances present as "traces" in AMPs (in accordance with the contents of the
SmPC) have to be submitted to the XEVMPD?
Answer: Substances which may be present in the medicinal product as traces (e.g. substances used
during the manufacturing process) should not be entered in the composition of the medicinal product
in the XEVPRM.
Question: The substance name we need to use in our AMP entity was not found in EVWEB, so I have
inserted a new substance in our XEVPRM. We received a negative acknowledgement stating: "Please
note that it is not possible to perform any operations on approved substances names until further
notice…."Can you please clarify why we received this ACK?
Answer: Please refer to the published communication on Changes to some business rules of the
eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD): Submission of substance
information.
Question: If a substance, which we need to use in our medicinal product entity, is missing in the
available controlled vocabulary substance list, how should we request a new substance EV Code? Can
the substance be submitted through XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB) and/or Gateway?
Question: Could you please provide a detailed definition of the three values 'mixture', 'aingle' and
'apecified aubstance'? What is expected to be entered if none of these three values is applicable?
Answer: The definitions of substance classes are provided in Chapter 6 of the Detailed Guidance
available on the Agency's website. EV-Post and Gateway users should also refer to the EudraVigilance
eXtended Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) substance classes controlled vocabulary.
Question: The Substance class 'Polymer' is defined as a type of polydisperse substance that contains
structural repeating units linked by covalent bound. Heparin sodium is the sodium salt of the heparin.
Heparin is an anionic polysaccharide. What is the best option to classify Heparin sodium: Polymer or
Chemical?
• For plant Latin names and where the part of the plant is described in the name, the class is:
'Structurally Diverse Substance – Herbal' (code=9)
• For herbal/homeopathic preparations where the form/extract or the potency is defined in the
name, the class is 'Specified Substance Group 1' (Code=13)
• For herbal/homeopathic preparations where the monograph is described in the name the class is
'Specified Substance Group 3' (Code=15)
Question: The substance class 'chemical' is defined in the Detailed Guidance - Chapter 6, as a type of
substance defined by a single molecular structure that is not a protein or a nucleic acid substance.
Please confirm that the origin of the substance should not be taken into account for the substance
class and consequently, an amino-acid is a chemical substance even if it is of biological origin.
Answer: The definitions provided in Chapter 6 of the Detailed Guidance available on the Agency's
website should be used to decide what the most relevant substance class is. According to these
definitions, an amino acid can only be classified as a 'chemical' as it does not fall under the definition of
any other class.
Question: The Legal Notice on the Implementation of Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004
requires the description of active ingredient(s) and excipient(s) for the electronic submission of
information on medicines. Does the amount of all excipients have to be described as a kind of
composition, or is it enough to specify only the quantity of API? If the quantity of all excipients has to
be provided, will this data accessible to everybody (e.g. patients and different companies, NCAs etc.)?
Answer: It is optional to describe the strength(s) of excipient(s). If this information is provided, the
strength(s) of the excipient(s) as listed in section 6.1 List of excipients of the corresponding SmPC
must be specified in the pharmaceutical product. Please refer to section 1.2.17.9 Excipient substance
strength of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
If the strength of the excipient is provided, it will be visible to EVWEB users registered with
EudraVigilance as per the applicable visibility rights.
Answer: The strength of the adjuvant can be based on the information you own, even if not reported
in the SmPC. However, please note that if the strength of the adjuvant is provided, it will be visible to
EVWEB users registered with EudraVigilance as per the applicable visibility rights. If the strength of the
adjuvant substance is not mentioned in the SmPC and you do not wish to disclose the information, you
should specify the concentration of the adjuvant substance as 0 grams.
Question: Is it possible to specify more than one reference source for a substance? Some of our
products contain more than one monograph, from more than one reference source. If the substance to
be added is not referenced in any monograph, but only in the marketing authorisation dossier, what
should we reference as the substance source.
Answer: No, the reference source field is not repeatable in the XEVPRM schema. Nevertheless, you
may provide more than one reference source in your request to insert a substance/alias. The Agency
will select the most suitable reference source to be referenced in the substance. Please refer to the
Controlled Vocabulary list "eXtended Eudravigilance Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) reference sources"
published on the Agency's website.
If the substance is not referenced in any monograph, but only in the marketing authorisation dossier,
the reference source 'Company Specification' (SRC528) can be referenced as the substance source.
Question: For registered homeopathic substances: the same registration number can correspond to a
series of dilutions, different types of dilutions (CH, DH, K, LM) as well as several pharmaceutical forms.
Would the XEVPRM structure take into account those specificities?
Answer: In accordance with Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) 726/2004 the electronic submission
focuses on information on authorised medicinal products for human use. This does not include
registrations of traditional herbal medicinal products (Chapter 2a of Directive 2001/83/EC) and
registrations of homeopathic medicinal products registered according to the simplified registration
procedure (Article 14 of Directive 2001/83/EC). Such medicinal products can be provided in the
XEVMPD on voluntary basis in line with the requirements and business processes described in of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
E.g the following are all different entities: Agnus Castus D6, Agnus Castus Dil D6, Agnus Castus Trit D
6, Agnus Castus (Ø 10%) D6, Agnus Castus Trit D6 (HAB 34).
The same applies for different dilutions and forms: Arnica Montana D14, Arnica Montana D12,
Valeriana Officinalis Radix dry extract, Valeriana Officinalis Radix Tincture.
Question: We are unsure how to submit substance information for a homeopathic product containing
15 mg of Arnica Montana D4 per tablet. Also, can a homeopathic substance be entered for a substance
name or for the strength of the medicinal product? E.g. "1 tablet contains 0.1 gram of Galium aparine
4X". How should the strength be submitted in the XEVPRM? How do I express the potency in the
substance?
Answer: The strength of the homeopathic preparation is 15 mg per tablet (15mg/Tablet). The potency
of the homeopathic preparation should be reflected in the substance name (e.g. Arnica Montana D4).
As regards your second example, the potency of the homeopathic substance should be stated as part
of the substance name e.g. Galium aparine 4X. The quantity of the homeopathic substance should be
stated as the strength of the medicinal product e.g. 0.1 gram/tablet.
Question: One of our ingredients is "Water for injection with Tween 80". Should we submit it as one
or two substances?
Answer: Two approved substances (i.e. "Water for injection" and "Tween 80") should be referenced in
your medicinal product submission.
Question: Is the SSI mandatory? If yes, can you provide a clarification on when specifically a SSG1,
SSG2 or SSG3 should be included?
Question: Our product is a gelatine capsule containing 3 tablets. How can we insert this in the
pharmaceutical product section? What is the administrable pharmaceutical dose form of the product -
the gelatine capsule or the tablet?
If the capsule is to be opened before administration and the 3 tablets are administered separately, the
authorised pharmaceutical form will have to be "capsule" and 3 administrable pharmaceutical form
sections will need to be created ("tablet" three times), each of them listing the active ingredients and
excipients part of the specific tablet.
Question: This question is relative to the rules applying to the case of products where the SmPC
states more than one authorised pharmaceutical form.
EXAMPLE A
3. Pharmaceutical form
Please indicate what the XEVMPD rules required are in the above case.
Answer 2: Two authorised pharmaceutical forms should be entered in the XEVMPD ("solution for
injection" and "concentrate for solution for infusion"), whereas only one administrable pharmaceutical
form should be specified, as the product is not a kit but a single preparation that can be used in two
ways. In this case, the preferred option for the single administrable pharmaceutical form would be a
term acting as a common denominator between the two authorised pharmaceutical forms, such as
"solution for injection/infusion".
When it is not possible to find such a term (see example B below), only one of two authorised
pharmaceutical forms should be used to populate the "Administrable Pharmaceutical Form" field.
EXAMPLE B
3. Pharmaceutical form
Oral solution.
As a suitable term acting as a common denominator between the two authorised pharmaceutical forms
(like "solution" would be) is not available in the CV as a standard pharmaceutical dose form term,
either "solution for injection" or "oral solution" should be specified as the administrable pharmaceutical
form.
Multiple administrable pharmaceutical forms should only be created when different administrable
pharmaceutical forms are physically present within the same product (e.g. cream and pessary in the
same package) or when a product contains multiple identical pharmaceutical forms having different
compositions (e.g. combined oral contraceptive tablets), as demonstrated in the following example:
Prodemaz® contains three different active ingredients. Each active ingredient is present in its own
dosage form:
1 film-coated tablet (light yellow) contains 500 mg of clarithromycin for oral use
3. PHARMACEUTICAL FORM
Film-coated tablets: white, oblong film-coated tablets with one-sided score line
In this case, the authorised pharmaceutical form should be specified as "gastro-resistant tablet" and
"film-coated tablet" and three administrable pharmaceutical forms should be created as the product is
a combination package and not a single preparation. These should be 1) "gastro-resistant tablet" (with
pantoprazole as the active ingredient), 2) "film-coated tablet" (with amoxicillin) and 3) "film-coated
tablet" (with clarithromycin).
Question: How should a pharmaceutical form be provided if the standard term is not available in the
published controlled vocabulary list "Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVMPD)
pharmaceutical dose forms" available at the Agency's website?
Answer: Please refer to the below sections of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance:
Answer: Please note that in the context of improvement of the XEVMPD controlled vocabulary data
quality, as of 2nd of August 2013, the XEVMPD privileges and rights were modified to allow MAHs to
reference deprecated pharmaceutical forms within their authorised medicinal products to facilitate the
Article 57(2) electronic submission of information on medicines. You can therefore use deprecated
terms in your product entities. However, please note that the use of deprecated terms is discouraged;
a supplementary term to be used instead of a deprecated term is available to registered users on the
EDQM website.
Question: This question is relative to the rules applying to the case of products where the
container/device is mentioned in the pharmaceutical form section of the SmPC (e.g. solution for
injection in pre-filled syringe). Please indicate what the XEVMPD rules required are in the above case.
Answer: As the administrable pharmaceutical form refers to the pharmaceutical form for
administration to the patient, it should preferably not include information on the container/device.
Therefore, whilst the “Authorised Pharmaceutical Form” (AP.APT.1) should be specified as "solution for
injection in pre-filled syringe", the "Administrable Pharmaceutical Form" (PP.1) should be specified only
as "solution for injection".
Answer: Route of administration is a repeatable XEVPRM section and therefore two routes of
administration can be referenced within one pharmaceutical product.
Question: How should a route of administration be provided if the standard term is not available in
the published controlled vocabulary list "Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVMPD)
routes of administration" available at the Agency's website?
Answer: Please refer to the below sections of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance:
Answer: Please note that in the context of improvement of the XEVMPD controlled vocabulary data
quality, as of 2nd of August 2013, the XEVMPD privileges and rights were modified to allow MAHs to
reference deprecated routes of administration within their authorised medicinal products to facilitate
the Article 57(2) electronic submission of information on medicines. You can therefore use deprecated
terms in your product entities. However, please note that the use of deprecated terms is discouraged;
a supplementary term to be used instead of a deprecated term is available to registered users on the
EDQM website.
Question: Can you please confirm that the use of medical devices in AMPs is only applicable to
advanced therapy products?
Question: When creating an XEVPRM with product data, what shall we insert in a product if the ATC
Code is not assigned or not applicable?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.18 Product ATC Code(s) (AP.ATC.1) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Some of our medicinal products have an ATC Code, which cannot be found in the ATC Index
published by the WHO. However, this ATC code is available in the list of ATC Codes published in
Germany. How should we provide this information?
Answer: If the ATC Code for a medicinal product is not part of the ATC Index published by the WHO,
the ATC Code should be provided as a "proposed term" via the XEVPRM.
Please refer to section 1.7 Initial submission of an ATC Code of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance
product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: An ATC Code already published by the WHO is not yet available in the XEVMPD ATC Code
look-up list. How can we reference this ATC Code in our product entity?
Answer: The ATC Code should be provided as a "proposed term" via the XEVPRM.
Please refer to section 1.7 Initial submission of an ATC Code of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance
product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Old EVMPD required 3 levels of ATC. Is this still sufficient for the XEVMPD?
Answer: All five levels of the ATC code can be used. The most specific ATC code in relation to the
medicinal product needs to be specified.
Question: What shall we do in case where multiple ATC Codes are applicable for one medicinal
product?
Answer: The ATC Code is repeatable in the schema. Several ATC Codes can be therefore referenced in
one product entity.
Answer: Please note that in the context of improvement of the XEVMPD Controlled Vocabulary data
quality, as of 2 August 2013, the XEVMPD privileges and rights were modified to allow MAHs to
reference deprecated ATC Codes within their Authorised Medicinal Products to facilitate the Article
57(2) electronic submission of information on medicines. You can therefore use deprecated terms in
your product entities.
Question: Where can we find the list of Controlled Vocabularies to support XEVPRM submissions?
Answer:
• The available controlled vocabularies are published on the Agency's website, section "Controlled
vocabularies".
• ATC Codes need be obtained from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology.
• Pharmaceutical forms and routes of administration are based on the standard terms published by
the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM).
• The Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM) is maintained by the Regenstrief institute.
• The official list of ISO 3166-1 country codes is maintained by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO).
• The official list of ISO 639-1:2002 codes for the representation of names of languages: Part 1:
Alpha-2 code is maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Question: The CV lists are currently published in an Excel format. Could they be provided in a
different format?
Answer: The controlled vocabularies maintained by the Agency are published only in Excel format.
However, marketing-authorisation holders can convert the CVs from Excel to the most suitable format
to best suit their needs.
Question: How can I determine what has changed in the substance CV list available on the Agency's
website? Is it possible to get a list of just the changes to the previous versions of the CV please?
Answer: The published updated versions of the substance and organisations CVs contain a sheet
named "EV Codes Added". This sheet contains the extract of the new EV Codes added in the controlled
vocabulary since the last publication. In subsequent publications the tracking of the changes will be
enhanced so that users of the CVs can also view EV Codes that were nullified since the last publication
as well as identify which EV Codes where updated (e.g. substance name updated or translation added).
Question: Will a medical device table similar to the controlled vocabulary for substances be provided
by the EMA? Also, the EMA technical specifications specify an integer for a medical device code, yet
there is nothing in the existing CVs to define what that integer should be. Will this potentially be an
integer of 0-9 with associated medical device types?
Answer: The Legal Notice on the Implementation of Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004
states that the medical device description is currently only required for advanced therapy medicinal
products (ATMPs), where applicable: "A description of the medical device(s) in accordance with
Regulation (EC) No 1394/2007 as applicable".
Where a medical device term is required for an ATMP, the marketing-authorisation holder needs to
send a request for a term assignment via the EMA Service Desk portal
(https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu) and the Agency will provide a code and term for the medical
device to the marketing-authorisation holder.
The list of available medical devices with their assigned codes is available as part of the controlled
vocabularies published on the Agency's website, section "Controlled vocabularies" – see
"EudraVigilance eXtended Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) medical devices".
Question: Which country code should be used for United Kingdom - GB or UK? Where can we find the
official list of country codes?
Answer: Please refer to NOTE 2 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Which organisations are available in the published 'Organisations' list? Is it list of
organisations registered with EudraVigilance?
Answer: The "Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVMPD) Organisations" list available
as part of the Controlled Vocabularies published on the Agency's website, section "Controlled
vocabularies" contains details of the marketing-authorisation holder organisations available in the
XEVMPD.
See NOTE 1 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance
for further information.
3.26. MedDRA
Question: Since it is mandatory to code all indications as described in the SmPC, can you please
provide more specific details about the implementation of MedDRA terminology regarding the
therapeutic indication(s)?
Answer: See section 1.2.19. AMP - Product Indications (AP.INDs) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: How will consistency of MedDRA coding be established across industry and within XEVMPD?
What granularity of coding is required for utility of MedDRA codes? Can PT or higher terms be used?
Answer: See section 1.2.19. AMP - Product Indications (AP.INDs) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
For coding instructions, please refer to 'MedDRA Term Selection: Points to Consider' document
available on MedDRA website. 'Summary of Changes to MedDRA Term Selection' is also available on
MedDRA website.
Question: There are many indications for products registered where qualifiers cannot be reflected by
selecting one single MedDRA term. Are multiple terms permitted to cover the medical concept of the
indication? Or, if there is no direct match does the nearest approaching term must be selected or the
creation of a new term must be requested at MedDRA?
Example: Therapeutic indication: newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid
leukaemia (Ph+CML) MedDRA 14.1 LLT name: LLT-Philadelphia chromosome positive and HLT-
Leukaemias chronic myeloid or LLT-Chronic myeloid leukaemia only.
Issue: Multiple terms to code an indication is not allowed (at least for AE reporting) so here only the
LLT-Chronic myeloid leukaemia would be coded.
Answer: Multiple terms can be used to code the medical concepts of indication(s), the signs,
symptoms or intended effects. The use of qualifiers (e.g. underlying disease) will be possible with the
implementation of the ISO IDMP standards. See examples in section 1.2.19. AMP - Product Indications
(AP.INDs) of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Which previous version of MedDRA is accepted for coding of indications? Will we need to
update or medicinal product entities when a new version of MedDRA becomes available?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.19.1. MedDRA version (AP.IND.1) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: For an MRP, which is a generic product in a specific country, there might be a certain
indication under patent. This would mean that the English Core text contains all indications (i.e. 3
indications), while the national translation contains one less (i.e. 2 indications). The additional
indication would be added on a local level once the patent of the indication expires. Since 3 indications
are approved on the MRP level, can you confirm that 3 indications should be entered in the AMP entity
in the XEVMPD?
Question: Who can perform updates of our medicinal product data entities submitted to the XEVMPD?
Answer: Medicinal product information provided via an XEVPRM is "owned" by the sender organisation
and its headquarter that submitted the information. The operation types which can be technically
performed by the sender organisation are described in section Data Operations and Ownership of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Why are MAHs unable to nullify AMPs which were flagged "valid" by the EMA? MAHs are the
primary owners or their AMP entities and should therefore have the rights to nullify their products
irrespectively of the EMA QC status/result.
Answer: AMP entity should only be nullified in case it's a duplicate or an incorrectly submitted record.
All AMP entities flagged as "valid" are used to support signal management activities (e.g. codification of
ICSRs). Before they are nullified, the EMA needs to check that a "substitute" record is available in the
XEVMPD. Therefore, only the EMA can nullify AMPs flagged as "valid".
To request a nullification of AMP entities validated by the EMA, please refer to Process map 13 –
Nullification of an AMP entity, Step 4 of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance. If nullification is requested for more than 10 entities, please provide the EV
Codes in an Excel spreadsheet, one EV Code per cell.
Question: MAHs should be able to update an AMP entity flagged as "invalid" for example to substitute
the referenced MAH or amend the invalidated date. Why is it not allowed?
Question: Should we maintain product entities submitted to the 'old' EVMPD using in the EVPRM
format?
Answer: Medicinal products previously submitted using the old EVPRM format are considered legacy
data. All EVMPD legacy data were migrated to the new XEVPRM format and the Agency assumed the
XEVMPD ownership of such data (i.e. of authorised medicinal products submitted in the XEVMPD using
the previous EudraVigilance Product Report Message format (i.e. Pre Article 57 format) by referencing
'Maintained by EMA' (Organisation EV Code ORG15457)' as the MAH in the concerned AMPs. This is
to flag medicinal products which are not compliant with Article 57(2) and that should therefore not be
maintained marketing-authorisation holders under the Article 57(2) obligations.
Question: What are the timelines based on which marketing-authorisation holders need to notify the
Agency of changes to marketing authorisations of authorised medicinal product entities submitted to
the Agency in line with Article 57(2) requirements?
Answer: As referred to the Legal Notice on the Implementation of Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No.
726/2004, section 2. Timelines, notification of variation to the term of marketing authorisation should
be submitted within 30 calendar days from the date of variation authorisation.
For CAPs, the notification is subject to the availability of the updated Product Information in all EU
languages and it should be submitted within 30 calendar days from the date of variation authorisation
or finalisation of the linguistic review of the Product Information, whichever occurs last. For such
products, the authorisation refers to the date of the CHMP Opinion or of the Commission Decision
following the CHMP Opinion, when there is one.
Examples of the variation authorisation date are available in section 2.1 Transition maintenance phase
- Electronic submission plan of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
4.4.1.1. Start of 30 calendar day timeline following Type IB variation where implementation
is delayed
Question: In accordance with the published guidance, MAHs are obliged to submit information on any
changes to the terms of the marketing authorisations following variation, transfer, renewal,
suspension, revocation or withdrawal of the MA "as soon as possible and no later than 30 calendar
days from the date of which the changes have been authorised by the NCA" What should be a
submission date for a variation Type IB when the NCA gives the MAH 6 months for the implementation
of the variation?
Answer: The compliance with the timelines stated in the Legal Notice [paragraph 2. Timelines section
2(d)] is subject to MAHs receiving a Marketing Authorisation document issued by the National
Competent Authority (NCA).
Therefore, when the implementation of the variation is delayed, the 30 calendar day timeline applies
from the date of receipt of the official document issued by the NCA.
Question: Can you please advise what is the process for notifying the EMA that the marketing
authorisation for a medicinal product has been transferred to another marketing-authorisation holder?
Answer: Please refer to section 2.4.3. Transfer of marketing authorisation of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: According to the process described in section 2.4.3. Transfer of marketing authorisation of
the published Chapter 3.II the "former MAH" must communicate to the "new MAH" the EV Codes of the
medicinal product entities for which he marketing authorisation has been transferred. What shall we do
Answer: If the "former MAH" organisation no longer exists and the EV Codes cannot therefore be
communicated to the "new MAH", the "new" MAH should submit a request via the EMA Service Desk
portal (https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu) to request the previous EV Codes. The following
information must be specified:
− authorisation country;
Question: We are the new MAH of a medicinal product that was transferred to us from another MAH.
We have not received the "previous" EV Code of this product from the former MAH and are unable to
retrieve this product in the XEVMPD. We don't know if the previous MAH submitted this AMP in the
XEVMPD at all. This is preventing us from inserting this AMP in the XEVMPD. Could you please advise
how we should proceed?
Answer: To check if the previous MAH entered the AMP in the XEVMPD, please submit a request via
the EMA Service Desk portal (https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu) to request the previous EV Code.
The following information must be specified:
− authorisation country;
In case the former MAH was not compliant with the Article 57 requirements and therefore there is no
AMP in the XEVMPD to be referenced (i.e. no previous EV Code was assigned), the new MAH can
submit the transferred AMP with the 'Insert' (1) operation type and the value "Valid" (1) must be
specified in the data element "Authorisation status" (AP.12.3).
Questions: Does the Agency still perform change of ownership of medicinal product entities for which
we are no longer the owners in the XEVMPD due to MA transfer to another MAH?
Answer: No, the Agency no longer transfers the ownership of AMP entities to another MAH's
organisation ID following MA transfer. MAHs should follow the process described in section 2.4.3.
Transfer of marketing authorisation of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: It seems that whenever a renewal has been issued, the renewal date should be stated.
What to do when a medicinal product with authorization status "Valid – Renewed Marketing
Authorisation (8)" is transferred to a new MAH? Do we have to insert a new medicinal product with
authorization status "Valid - Transferred Marketing Authorisation (9)" and select the first authorization
date or the renewal date?
Answer: When a medicinal product with authorisation status "Valid – Renewed Marketing
Authorisation (8)" is transferred to a new MAH, the new MAH has to insert a new medicinal product
with authorisation status "Valid - Transferred Marketing Authorisation (9)" as described in section 2.4.3
Transfer of marketing authorisation of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
The applicable renewal/ authorisation date should be provided in the field "Authorisation/Renewal date
(AP.12.5)" as it is referenced in the SmPC, section 9. Date of first authorisation/renewal of the
authorisation.
Question: In view of United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union we are transferring the
marketing authorisations of our medicinal products from a UK based MAH to an affiliated MAH based in
another member state. Both MAH organisations are registered in EudraVigilance under the same
headquarter profile. Should we follow the standard procedure described in section 2.4.3 Transfer of
marketing authorisation of Chapter 3.II to notify the EMA of this transfer (i.e. invalidate the current
AMP and re-insert the AMP as new) or is there another way?
Answer: In line with the latest information in section 2.4.3 Transfer of marketing authorisation of the
updated Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance:
For MA transfers within the same organisation (i.e.: organisations under the same EV
headquarter), where product data ownership and further maintenance in the XEVMPD is not affected
by the marketing authorisation transfer, a simplified process may be followed by the MAH:
• the current MAH should retrieve the AMP (based on the assigned EV code) for which the marketing
authorisation was transferred and apply an operation type 'Update (2)';
• the value "Valid – Transferred Marketing Authorisation (9)" should be entered in the data element
"Authorisation status" (AP.12.3);
• the EV code of the new MAH should be entered in the data element "Marketing authorisation holder
(MAH) code (AP.4)";
• in the "Previous EV Code" (AP.PEV) section the EV Code of the product entity that is being updated
must be entered.
4.6. Variations
Question: How should we amend our medicinal products submitted in the XEVMPD per Article 57(2)
requirements to provide the latest information following a variation procedure?
Question: In some countries, the MA number changes after approval of a variation. How should this
change be notified to the Agency? Do we update the current AMP record with the new number of insert
a new product entity?
Answer: Please refer to section 2.4.1.1. Business process - Authorisation number (AP.12.4) has
changed following a variation of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: If two parallel applications are approved at approximately the same time, is it expected to
report them as one change (with merged information) or as separate changes?
Answer: Marketing-authorisation holders should submit only one XEVPRM with the operation type
'Update' (2) to reflect all changes in the medicinal product entity.
Question: If an AMP is transferred or renewed (with new MA number), the record receives the status
"Valid-Renewed/Transferred". What happens if there is a "usual" variation afterwards? Should the
Authorization Status remain "Valid-Renewed/Transferred" or should it updated to "Valid"?
Answer: The authorisation status should remain as it was following the transfer of MA/renewal.
Question: According to the revised variation guidance "Once the Article 57 database is functional,
changes in QPPV, including contact details (telephone and fax numbers, postal address and email
address) may be updated through the Article 57 database only (without the need for a variation).
Where the MAH makes use of the possibility to update this information through the Article 57
database, the MAH must indicate in the marketing authorisation that the updated information of those
particulars is included in the database." Can you please confirm if it is now possible to change our
QPPV via the Article 57 database without the need of a variation?
Answer: The EMA Management Board considered the Article 57 database functionality for notifying
changes to the QPPV and PSMF at its December 2015 Management Board meeting. The Board agreed
that the database is functional for the purpose of notifications of changes to the QPPV and PSMF
information from 1 February 2016. From that date MAH organisations no longer need to notify EMA
or national competent authorities (as applicable) of changes to the QPPV or PSMF data by submitting a
type IAIN variation. No final variation is required to notify an explicit cross reference to Article 57 as the
source of QPPV and PSMF information.
Question: I would like to update our XEVMPD AMP entity to indicate that a marketing authorisation
(MA) has been withdrawn. How do I proceed?
Question: When we change the authorisation status of our AMP in the XEVMPD to "Not valid -
Withdrawn by marketing-authorisation holder", a withdrawal date has to be given. Which date should
be specified? There are many possible options:
• It should be the date related to the withdrawal of the MA or withdrawal from the market?
• Or is this the date that the marketing-authorisation holder intends to withdraw the MA?
• Or is it the date that the NCA accepts the withdrawal (please note that a notification is not
provided in every country)?
We know that it should not be the date that the product is no longer in the market, as this is
impossible to trace in the distribution supply chain at local pharmacies. Please clarify.
Answer: Please refer to section 1.2.12.12 Invalidated date (AP.12.12) of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Can you please advise how we can retrieve our withdrawn/invalidated AMP entities in
EVWEB?
Answer: Withdrawn/invalidated AMP entities can be retrieved by using the advanced queries section.
Go to "Queries", in "Conditions", the following fields must be selected:
Question: In some countries, following the approval of renewals the authorisation number changes.
How should this be reflected in the XEVMPD product entities?
Question: The guidance states that only the date should be amended when the MA number does not
change following a renewal. What about the 'Authorisation Status'? Should it remain as 'Valid' or
should the authorisation status be changed to 'Valid-Renewed'?
Question: In some countries, the NCA does not grant an official date of approval of the renewal. The
renewal is submitted but no official closure is provided. What should the MAH submit as the renewal
date? Date of submission of the renewal (= 6 to 9 months before renewal), the 'Expected closure date'
or 'Expected expiry date' of MA?
Answer: The renewal date should be specified as the date when the renewal takes effects (i.e. the
date specified in the SmPC, section 9. Date of first authorisation/renewal of the authorisation).
Question: One of our marketing authorisations has just been switched from national to MRP following
a referral. This MA relates to 3 XEVMPD product entities (=3 active EV Codes), each referencing an
individual pack size in the 'Package description' field. Each of the package presentations has got the
same registration number. The authorisation number assigned to this MA is unchanged. Should these
XEVMPD product entities be amended using operation type 'Update' (2) (with unchanged national
authorisation number in the field AP.12.4) or with 'Invalidate MA' (6) and inserted a new AMP entity
with MRP authorisation procedure?
Answer: Please refer to section 2.4.5. Change of authorisation procedure following a referral of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: How should we amend our medicinal product entity in the XEVMPD to indicate that a
suspension of marketing authorisation for our medicinal product has been lifted?
Answer: Please refer to section 2.4.2 (Lifting of) suspension of marketing authorisation of Chapter
3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance.
Question: Which changes in the SmPC should trigger an update of our AMP entities in the XEVMPD?
The relevant data elements within the authorised medicinal product entity must be amended as
applicable.
Question: Should changes in section 4.1 Therapeutic indications of the SmPC, which do not have a
direct impact on the MedDRA coding of the indication trigger an update of SmPC and therefore an AMP
entity update?
Answer: Yes, the change in section 4.1 Therapeutic indications of the SmPC should be followed by an
update of an SmPC referenced in an AMP entity. The data elements within the authorised medicinal
product entity however do not need to be amended.
Question: Our Pharmacovigilance email address and phone number have changed. How do we amend
our XEVMPD product entities so that they contain the correct PhV Email and PhV phone number?
Answer: You should retrieve the AMP entities referencing the Pharmacovigilance details you wish to
change and perform an operation type 'Update' (2) to replace the no longer valid email address and
phone number with the latest contact information.
Question: A new QPPV was appointed in our organisation. How do we inform you of this change? Our
products submitted in the XEVMPD will also need to be updated, how can this be done?
Answer: Please refer to section 2.1.1.2. Business process to notify a change of a QPPV and Process
map 4 – Change of QPPV of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM)
user guidance describing the process applicable as of 26 July 2018.
Question: The surname of our QPPV has changed as well as her email address. How do notify the
Agency of this change?
Answer: Please refer to section 2.1.1.1. Business process to notify the change of QPPV's details of
Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance describing the
process applicable as of 26 July 2018.
Question: Will our QPPV for all active authorized products have to change once the UK is no longer in
the EU?
Answer: Please refer to Q&A 4. of the 'Questions and Answers related to the United Kingdom's
withdrawal from the European Union with regard to the medicinal products for human and veterinary
use within the framework of the Centralised Procedure' document for related information.
Question: We inserted a new PSMFL entity in the XEVMPD and received a positive XEVPRM ACK with
the PSMFL EV Code. Following our submission, we notice that we made a mistake in the name of our
city. Can we amend this PSMLF entity? Or should be nullify it and create a new one?
Answer: It is not necessary to nullify the PSMFL entity and create a new one. You can amend the
PSMFL information by performing an operation type 'Update' (2).
Question: How can we update our AMP entities in the XEVMPD to include the PSMFL information?
Answer: To reference a PSMFL EV code in your AMP entities you have to "Update" (i.e. operation type
2) the AMP entity. You can either reference an existing MFL EV Code (i.e. the PSMFL information was
previously submitted in the XEVMPD and a MFL EV Code is assigned) or a new PSMFL entity to which
an EV Code will be assigned following a successful insert of the PSMFL information in the XEVMPD.
Please refer to section 2.3. Maintenance of a Pharmacovigilance System Master File Location (PSMFL)
entity of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance and
the XEVMPD Data-Entry Tool (EVWEB) User Manual for further information.
Question: The Pharmacovigilance system Master File for majority of our medicinal products is
currently located in the UK. Will this have to change once the UK leaves the EU?
Answer: Please refer to Q&A 5. of the 'Questions and Answers related to the United Kingdom's
withdrawal from the European Union with regard to the medicinal products for human and veterinary
use within the framework of the Centralised Procedure' document for related information.
Question: Ware in the process of changing our PSMF location from the UK to another EU member
state for our authorised medicinal products. Should we update the PSMF location of the existing MFL
entity in the XEVMPD or should we create a new PSMF entity (new EV Code will be assigned) and
update the affected AMPs to reference this new PSMFL entity?
Answer: As per information in the updated Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance, should the location of the PSMF change but the Pharmacovigilance
System remains the same, the existing PSMFL EV Code should be amended using an operation type
A new PSMFL entity should be submitted in the Article 57 database only in case where the
Pharmacovigilance System changes; a new PSMFL EV Code will be generated. In that case, you will
need to update your AMPs to reference the new assigned PSMFL EV Code.
Question: Should the PSMFL field in an AMP entry be updated after the PSMF has been included in the
registration by means of variation/renewal, or by the time that the PSMF is applicable for the
registration?
The background for this question is that PhV auditors have stated that in their opinion, the PSMF is
applicable for all products, once the PSMF is available. However, would this then imply that the
XEVMPD database is updated, without the notification (= variation) to the NCA/EMA?
Therefore from 2 July 2015 it is a requirement to submit the Pharmacovigilance System Master File
Location (PSMFL) information to the Article 57 database. The majority of product entities in the Article
57 database already include the PSMFL information; those AMP entities that do not reference the
PSMFL information should be updated.
See also Q&A 4.6.5. Notifications of QPPV details/PSMF location via Article 57 database of this
document for related information.
Question: By mistake several duplicates of the same 'Master File Locations' were created in the
XEVMPD. When we tried to nullify these duplicates, we received the following acknowledgement
message: "Unsuccessful Nullify. Please contact the EMA Help Desk - This Masterfile location is
referenced by one or many products". Please advise what we need to do in this case.
Answer: It is not possible to nullify a PSMFL entity, which is referenced in a medicinal product entity.
Please refer to section Process map 8 – Notifying a PSMFL entity as 'non-current' of Chapter 3.II:
Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related information.
Question: In our XEVPRM, we submitted an update of a substance name available in the XEVMPD and
received a negative acknowledgement stating: "Please note that it is not possible to perform any
operations on approved substances names until further notice. - If you need to insert or update
substance names or translations please contact…" Can you please clarify why we received this ACK and
what should we do to amend the substance information?
Answer: Approved substance preferred name can only be update by the EMA. Please refer to the
published communication Changes to some business rules of the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal
Question: The substance translation and synonym we need to reference in our product entity is not
available in the published substance CV list. How can we add it?
Answer: Providing that an approved substance is not listed in the XEVMPD substance controlled
vocabulary list (sheets 1_Substance CV and 4b_ Invalid substance names), or in the XEVMPD
substance look-up table, MAHs should submit their requests to the email address
MDMS@ema.europa.eu to the EMA Service Desk (https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu/) using the
processes described in the published communication Changes to some business rules of the eXtended
EudraVigilance Medicinal Product Dictionary (XEVMPD): Submission of substance information.
Question: If we are using the master EV Code for reporting of an approved substance, why is there a
need to achieve a 100% match in spelling by requesting a further synonym for brackets and hyphens if
the substance name to be added? Could the EMA add synonyms/translations in the XEVMPD during
their QC?
Answer: If hyphens/brackets are included in an SmPC, there is a high possibility that that's how the
substance could be reported in an ICSR. Therefore, the EMA must have a comprehensive controlled
vocabulary list. The EMA already includes such synonyms/translations; however, this activity does not
remove the responsibility of the MAH to request the translation/synonym to be added to an existing
substance.
Question: Our MAH organisation is not included in the published Organisation CV list and we cannot
find it in EVWEB when trying to insert a new authorised product. We can confirm that we are registered
with EudraVigilance. What is the issue?
Answer: The published Organisation CV list/MAH look-up table are different from the list of
organisations registered in EudraVigilance. The list of organisations registered in EudraVigilance is
accessible to registered users in the restricted area of the EudraVigilance Human website.
The published Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVMPD) Organisations list contains
details of the MAH organisations available in the XEVMPD as inserted by marketing-authorisation
holders via their submitted XEVPRMs.
If the requested MAH organisation does not exist in the XEVMPD, the organisation can be added using
the Organisation section of the XEVPRM. Please refer section 1.6 Initial Submission of a Marketing
Authorisation Holder (MAH) Organisation of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report
message (XEVPRM) user guidance for further information on how to submit an MAH organisation in the
XEVMPD.
Question: Some of our organisation information published in the Organisation CV list and available in
the 'MAH' look-up table is incorrect. How can we correct it?
Answer: It is the responsibility of the marketing-authorisation holder to ensure that the information
associated with the Organisation EV Code is up to date and accurate. Information within a previously
submitted MAH organisation entity must be amended or additional information must be added (as
applicable) by submitting an XEVPRM with the operation type 'Update' (2).
Please refer to section 2.2. Maintenance of a marketing authorisation holder (MAH) organisation entity
of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related
information.
Only the owner organisation of the entity may perform maintenance related operation types. If it is not
possible for the marketing-authorisation holder to amend an organisation entity, a request should be
sent via the EMA Service Desk portal (https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu) stating the Organisation
name and EV Code, and clarification of what information shall be amended in the organisation entity.
Question: The address of our MAH organisation has changed. How do notify this change to the
Agency? Do we amend the organisation entity in the XEVMPD using an 'Update' (2) operation type or
shall we create a new MAH entity using operation type ‘Insert’ (1)? Do we need to amend our
medicinal product entities referencing this organisation?
Answer: If only the address of the MAH changes and the legal entity remains the same, then
operation type 'Update' (2) or 'Insert' (1) should be used as applicable. Please refer to section 2.2.
Maintenance of a marketing authorisation holder (MAH) organisation entity of Chapter 3.II: Extended
EudraVigilance product report message (XEVPRM) user guidance for related information.
Only the owner organisation of the entity may perform maintenance related operation types. If it is not
possible for the marketing-authorisation holder to amend an organisation entity, a request should be
sent via the EMA Service Desk portal (https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu) stating the Organisation
name and EV Code, and clarification of what information shall be amended in the organisation entity.
Question: To update MAH details, the MAH must update the MAH entity in the XEVMPD (i.e. EV Code)
and submit an email notification to the EV Registration team to update the address in the EV
Registration database. This means that there will be a duplicate effort of work (gateway submission
and email notification). To avoid redundant email notification, the current MAH version in the XEVMPD
should be considered as valid by the EMA.
Answer: EV Registration database contains the details of organisations registered with EV. XEVMPD
contains the list of organisations indicated as MAH of an AMP. To change a name of an organisation in
the registration database, several additional documents need to be provided (cover letter, extract from
a trade register etc.). To change address details in the registration database, an email to the EV
Registration team is sufficient. To change the details of an MAH entity in the XEVMPD, an update must
be submitted for the MAH entity. The EMA cannot amend the organisation details in the EV Registration
database based on the information provided in the XEVMPD.
Question: Our organisation is duplicated in the published Organisation CV list. What shall we do?
Question: We tried to nullify several organisation entities submitted and owned by our organisation
but we received a negative acknowledgement, stating "Security Error. Insufficient Rights. Check the
Ownership of the specified entity". Can you please advise what is the issue and how these organisation
entities can be nullified?
Answer: Please note that nullification can only be performed by an organisation, which formally owns
the MAH entity in the XEVMPD. Also, MAH cannot nullify organisations which they own but which are
flagged as "Valid" by the EMA. Please refer to section 2.2. Maintenance of a marketing authorisation
holder (MAH) organisation entity of Chapter 3.II: Extended EudraVigilance product report message
(XEVPRM) user guidance for further information.
4.16. MedDRA
Question: Do we need to update all of our medicinal product entities in the XEVMPD if a new MedDRA
version is available?
Answer: It is not necessary to update medicinal product entities when a new MedDRA version is
released. In the context of the data submission maintenance (e.g. if there is a need of notification of a
variation with an 'Update (2)' operation type), if a new MedDRA version is available, the latest current
version should be used to codify the indications.
Only under special circumstances a new MedDRA version should trigger a re-coding ('significant
impact'); operation type 'Update' (2) should be used.
Question: Can you confirm that following a renewal, MA transfer, etc. the indication doesn't need to
be updated to the latest version of MedDRA?
Answer: The latest current version of MedDRA should be used to code the indications stated in section
4.1 Therapeutic indications of the SmPC when using the operation types 'Insert (1)' and 'Update (2)' to
add/amend information on a medicinal product in the context of the data submission maintenance
(e.g. variation, renewal, MA-transfer, etc.).
Question: When do MAHs need to start maintaining MedDRA versions and codes in their medicinal
products?
Answer: From January 2015 onwards, MedDRA codes and versions should be maintained as part of
the transition maintenance phase.
Question: We understand that the Agency started the validation of medicinal product data submitted
in the XEVMPD by the MAHs. Where can we found more information on the process?
Answer: Please be informed that the Agency began systematic review of the quality and integrity of
the medicinal product information submitted by marketing-authorisation holders in July 2014.
The outlines of the quality control process and the relevant details have been published and are
available in the document "Quality Control of medicinal product data submitted per the legal
requirement introduced by Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004".
Question: During the validation process, does the EMA change the version that was submitted by the
MAH? If so, who is responsible for the content of the version?
Answer: Where the information is erroneous, the Agency creates a new version ("the EMA version") of
the product entity, which contains the corrected information. The ownership of the medicinal product
data remains with the sender organisation; the version created by the Agency during the quality
revision process does not interfere with the submission process or the ownership of the data. This
means that, following the creation of the EMA version with amendments, any subsequent amendments
of the AMP by the MAH (e.g. due to variations) can be performed on the MAH's initial version. This will
generate a new version of the specific product record.
See Annex 1 of the updated document "Quality Control of medicinal product data submitted per the
legal requirement introduced by Article 57(2) of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004" for detailed process
map.
Question: The document "Outlines of the Quality Control process" states that: "Only the versions
flagged as "Valid" are visible to other EVWEB users as per the applicable visibility rules." Could you
please explain the term "applicable visibility rules"? Or could you let us know where these are
mentioned?
Answer: Please refer to section 1.7.7. Data Access Policy of the eXtended EudraVigilance Medicinal
Product Dictionary (XEVMPD) Data-Entry Tool (EVWEB) user manual. Please note that the term "Valid"
was formerly known as "Checked".
Answer: In EVWEB, go to "Advanced Queries" and select "Authorised Products (Valid version)". In the
"Conditions (AND)", select "Owned" and run the query (using "Run" or "Run to Excel"). The list of AMPs
which have a product validity set to "Valid" will become available.
• To identify AMPs, which were not updated (i.e. operation type "Update" was not applied for that
AMP) by the MAH following a validation by the Agency:
• To identify AMPs, which were updated (i.e. operation type "Update" was applied for that AMP) by
the MAH following a validation by the Agency:
In EVWEB, go to "Advanced Queries" and select "Owned Authorised Products". In the "Conditions
(AND)", select the field "Product Validity" and set the value to "Valid". Also, select the field
"Product Pending" and set the value to "Pending Update". Then run the query (using "Run" or "Run
to Excel").
Answer: Yes. Go to EVWEB and retrieve your AMP entity. In the tree-view area (under "Product
Attachments"), sections "Previous Versions" and "Subsequent Versions" are available. Open the
applicable version, select the version you wish to view and click on "Load":
Question: Where do we find the link to the XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB)?
Answer: The XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (also known as EVWEB) can be accessed by users registered
with EudraVigilance from the EudraVigilance production or test environment (XCOMP) of the
EudraVigilance Human Restricted area, under 'EV Services'.
EudraVigilance production environment: https://eudravigilance.ema.europa.eu/x
XCOMP: https://evtest.ema.europa.eu/x
Answer: The EVWEB application currently only supports Internet Explorer 8. If you cannot use this
older version of IE, you can still use EVWEB with IE9, IE10 and IE 11 using the link here to access the
XHTML version of the application directly. You will need to set your IE browser to compatibility view.
More information on how to change Internet Explorer compatibility view settings is available from the
Microsoft website.
Question: Could a standalone XEVPRM be transmitted through the gateway? Or is the ZIP file format
mandatory, even when we sent only an XEVPRM without any attachment?
Answer: The use of ZIP file format is always mandatory for consistency, and to help reduce the size of
the file.
Question: Several companies intend to use a different system and different transmission mode for the
submission of XEVPRMs and submission of ICSRs. As a single organisation cannot be both – a Gateway
user and an EVWEB user, what do you advise us to do to deal with this difficulty?
Answer: The proposed approach is to request the creation of a virtual affiliate under the headquarter
(HQ) of the marketing-authorisation holder. Marketing-authorisation holders can have a main profile
set as Gateway user and a virtual affiliate set as WEB Trader user or vice versa. The WEB Trader
profile can be used to perform manual maintenance through the XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB)
and/or the Gateway profile can be used to perform XML uploads. Please review the EudraVigilance:
how to register website for more information on how to register a virtual affiliate.
Question: Can you please confirm that XEVPRM ACKs will be sent 'immediately' to the Senders, based
on a technical validation (using the parsing rules detailed in the Detailed Guidance), and not delayed (if
based on a human validation)? Can the tracking of the message delivery notifications (MDN) serve as a
proof of compliance, in addition to the tracking of the XEVPRM ACK?
Marketing-authorisation holders need to identify if the received acknowledgements (ACKs) are positive
or with warnings only.
ACKs with errors require the marketing-authorisation holders to correct and resubmit the medicinal
product(s) affected using the same operation type.
An XEVPRM can contain several entities such as substances, organisations, attachments that are
referenced in the medicinal products present in the same XEVPRM. If the loading of any of those
entities fails, the entire message will be rolled back and the marketing-authorisation holders will need
to resubmit the amended message with the same operation type with all the entities.
If all those entities are successfully loaded and all the products except one or more products are not
loaded successfully, only the one or more products should be resubmitted in a new XEVPRM, because
all the other products and entities would have been loaded.
Question: We submitted an XEVPRM to the XEVMPD via EVWEB. Until now we have not received an
acknowledgement. Furthermore, we are wondering why this XEVPRM cannot be seen in the EVWEB
Outbox. Can you please investigate?
Answer: Please note that XEVPRMs and XEVPRM Acknowledgements are available in the WEB Trader
Inbox/Outbox for 7 days; they are moved to the "Archive" section 7 days after their
submission/receipt. Please follow the below steps to retrieve your XEVPRM/XEVPRM ACK:
Question: Can Gateway users use the XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB)? We need to perform
queries, to be able to manually enter IMPs etc. Please confirm that a unique user's account will allow
us to perform transactions using both - the XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB) and using our Gateway
(XCOMP environment and Human EV production environment).
Answer: Gateway users can access the XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB) and to retrieve medicinal
product information. Depending on their organisation's profile set-up, they can also create an XEVPRM
using EVWEB but not to submit XEVPRM messages (the 'Send' button is not available in the 'Create
If a marketing-authorisation holder registered as a gateway user desires to send XEVPRMs directly via
the XEVMPD Data Entry Tool (EVWEB), the marketing-authorisation holder needs to register a virtual
affiliate.
Please review the EudraVigilance: how to register website for more information on how to register a
virtual affiliate.
Question: Is access to the XEVMPD test environment (XCOMP) granted to software vendors?
Answer: Software vendors were able to test their software systems directly in the XEVMPD test
environment, (XCOMP), between 16 June and 31 December 2014, following the XEVPRM schema
change. To access XCOMP, software vendors must be registered as third party service providers for
marketing-authorisation holder organisations.
Question: Is it possible for MAH organisation to switch from being an EVWEB user to a Gateway
trader?
Answer: Yes, this is possible; however changes in the registration profile and technical set-up are
required. To change the transmission mode of a profile the registered QPPV/ Trusted Deputy must
send a request in the form of a cover letter to the Registration team
(EudraVigilanceRegistration@ema.europa.eu). via the EMA Service Desk portal
(https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu).
Question: Using the Gateway, can marketing-authorisation holders use two different interchange IDs
(one for ICSRs and one for XEVPRMs) or does it need to be the same interchange ID for both types of
transmission?
Answer: The IDs can be different within the same EudraVigilance Group.
Question: Will it be possible to load into the XEVMPD an existing XML in order to create a new
XEVPRM? How does it work?
Answer: In the WEB Trader section of the XEVMPD Data Entry tool (EVWEB), a 'Local Import'
function is available. This function allows uploading XML files previously created. Once imported, the
message is loaded in the 'Create and Send Product Report' section of EVWEB where the information
can be edited as necessary. This function is available only to users registered as Web trader users in
the EudraVigilance system. Please refer to the "XEVMPD Data-Entry Tool (EVWEB) User Manual"
available in the restricted area of the EudraVigilance website for information how to use EVWEB
functionalities.
Question: We are EVWEB users and we would like to update several AMP records in the XEVMPD at
the same time. How can this be done?
Answer: In November 2014, the Agency released a "Bulk Update Manager tool" to enable marketing-
authorisation holders submitting information using EVWEB to perform bulk data operations on their
products in the XEVMPD. The tool facilitates editing of key data fields and supports the re-submission
of this data to the XEVMPD repository. This tool is not available for organisations registered as
Gateway users.
For details see the XEVMPD Bulk Update Manager user guide available in the restricted area of the
EudraVigilance website.
Question: With which version of Internet Explorer does the Bulk Update Manger works with?
Answer: The bulk update manager tool is designed to work on machines operating under Windows 7
using Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) or above. Earlier versions of Windows, Internet Explorer and other
operating systems/browsers will not receive support for the export tool should issues arise. If the tool
is used in IE8, it is necessary to disable compatibility mode for the browser as described here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/internet-explorer/use-compatibility-view#ie=ie-8.
7.3. "Create Change" button not visible in the Bulk Update Manager tool
Question: I have tried to carry out a bulk update for several of our products however, when I view the
bulk update screen operations page, as per figure 18 in the user guide, I am unable to select the
"Create Change" button as it is not visible. Can you please advise?
Answer: This is related to the compatibility view. Please try to toggle the current setting for
"Compatibility View". The toggle button is available in the Internet Explorer Address Bar.
Disabled:
Enabled:
Question: Is the XEVMPD data export tool available? Does it work with Internet Explorer version 8 and
above?
Answer: In May 2014, the Agency made available an "XEVMDP product export tool" to enable
marketing-authorisation holders to export their own data during the transition maintenance phase. The
data export functionality only works with Internet Explorer versions 8 and above.
For more information, see the XEVMPD product export tool user manual available in the restricted area
of the EudraVigilance website.
Question: In the XEVMPD Product Export Tool, we fail to download an export (XML and Excel files).
When we select the button "Download", after performing a request, a window opens for one second
and automatically closes. No file is downloaded. We use Internet Explorer 8. Please advise what may
be the issue.
Answer: This may be related to the settings on your computer. Please ensure that the following
actions are followed:
o https://evtest.ema.europa.eu/human/restricted/PublicView/list2.asp
o https://eudravigilance.ema.europa.eu/human/restricted/PublicView/list.asp
• Include these sites into the list of the trusted sites (Tools > Internet Options > Security > Trusted
Sites > Sites).
• In the IE security settings (Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level), enable the
following: ActiveX controls and plug-ins, Java VM, Scripting.
If you are still unable to download the files, please submit an enquiry via the EMA Service Desk portal
(https://servicedesk.ema.europa.eu).